A soldier at the main gate of Gobindgarh fort before the handover. Telegraph picture

Amritsar, Dec. 26: When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh handed over the keys of the Gobindgarh Fort to Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh earlier this month, it was not just another government ritual for residents of this holy city.

It touched an emotional chord as the 250-year-old citadel evoked memories of British brutalities.

For Sikh historian Gurdial Singh Dhillon, the handing over of the fort to civil authorities was “very significant” as it has always been in the hands of the “powerful”.

“Apart from its links with Maharaja Ranjit Singh, it also served as the residence of Brigadier General R.E.H. Dyer and that is of more interest,” Dhillon said.

It is the Phansi Ghar, however, that has aroused the maximum curiosity.

Many who lost close relatives after summary trials under British rule have now started scouting for information — they believe their relatives were hanged inside the fort.

“We want to know what happened to those who disappeared under the British. We believe they were hanged inside the fort. What was the need for the British to construct a place for hangings if they wanted to hang no one there?” said octogenarian Kirpal Singh.

“There were stories of how Dyer used to derive sadistic pleasure by watching the hangings. A national monument should be built inside the fort for those who died unsung for India’s Independence and also as a reminder of the atrocities committed by the British,” he added.

“Something has to be done to heal the festering wounds. The memories of those brutal days still hurt.”

The army, which is yet to vacate the fort, played safe. It said it has no information or any list of names of the people executed inside the fort by the British.

About vacating the fort, a spokesperson said it would take some time. “We have to seek alternative accommodation. It might take a couple of years, even more.”

From the time it was built in 1760, the walls of the brick-and-lime citadel have been silent witnesses to changing fortunes and masters, including Ranjit Singh, who established Sikh rule in the then Punjab, and Dyer, the man responsible for the Jalianwala Bagh massacre.

Dyer stayed in the fort when he arrived in the city with his troops a day before opening fire on hundreds of peaceful protesters on April 13, 1919, killing hundreds.

Originally known as Bhangian Ka Kila (fort of the Bhangis) when it was built, it was re-christened Gobindgarh Fort by Ranjit Singh after a facelift during 1805-09.

The 30-acre fort has two gates, four bastions at each corner and a well-defined rampart. It has a moat around it.

Legend has it that there was an underground escape tunnel that connected the fort to Lahore, which was wide enough for a mounted horseman to pass through.

Past efforts to unearth this tunnel have failed and, with no official account of its existence, efforts to trace it have always been discouraged.

The Punjab government has drawn up a plan to turn the fort into a national museum on the freedom struggle. But it could take years for the plan to take shape.

Till then, the fort will remain out of bounds for the people.