The Opposition Congress on Tuesday staged a protest against the administration’s move to demolish the colonial-era “Mahafezkhana” (record room) “to make way” for a riverfront beautification project while demanding preservation of all heritage sites.

Besides staging the protest, the leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, appealed to governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya to refer to the Prevent Demolition of Heritage Buildings and Enforce theAssam Heritage Act, 2020.

The demolition of the structure, built after 1856, came to light a few days ago.

Though the demolition sparked ourtage for not preserving the city’s heritage, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had defended the move by claiming the structure was “a symbol of slavery” not worth preserving.

Ironically, the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), carrying out the riverfront beautification project, had published a coffee table book (Forerver Guwahati) in 2014 which stated, “With 20-inch thick walls, it was one of two structures in the city that withstood the 1897 earthquake. The 86ft by 77ft record room served as a ready archive, containing maps, administrative orders and all kinds of land records.”

This is history now.

Guwahati-based Author-journalist Mrinal Talukdar was among the first few people to flag the demolition on X: “OUTRAGEOUS! #Mahafezkhana — Assam’s oldest concrete structure (1855), possibly NE India’s oldest, razed by GMDA for a park. Survived 1897 & 1950 quakes, stood on 45-ft sal beams, wrapped in a verandah, guarding records for 170+ yrs. Now destroyed. A crime against heritage. Not a whisper, not a plaque, not a second thought — just bulldozed by the authorities, erasing one of Assam’s most important surviving physical links to its colonial and administrative past”.

“It is the duty of the government to protect the heritage buildings. If it is history, protect it for the future generations. We have not seen any government/chief minister demolish our heritage because it is a symbol of British slavery. The structure was about 170 years old. Was any approval taken of the Assembly?” Congress spokesperson Bedabrata Borah said.

Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, also the Congress Legislature Party leader, in a two-page letter to governor Acharya on Tuesday expressed his concern over the demolition of “Mahafezkhana”: “This act of destruction is in direct violation of the Assam Heritage (Tangible) Protection, Preservation, Conservation, and Maintenance Act, 2020, which was enacted under your esteemed leadership to safeguard our state’s invaluable heritage.”

“The demolition of this ancient building to make way for a park is not only unacceptable but also sets a dangerous precedent for the disregard of Assam’s rich history and cultural legacy. Our heritage buildings and monuments are irreplaceable treasures that connect us to our past and serve as a source of inspiration and learning for future generations,” Saikia said.

Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan also questioned the need for demolishing the structure when it could have become a part of the GMDA riverfront tourism project to house old records.

Saikia, in his letter, has sought Acharya’s intervention to “halt any further actions that violate the Assam Heritage Act, 2020” and initiate a thorough inquiry into the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Mahafezkhana and identify those responsible for this act of violation.