KOCHI: Kochi has a long history of being dominated by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Consequently, the quaint port town of Fort Kochi has a heavy hangover of colonial rule. One heritage site that stands out is an old prison near the police station here. Though the exact date of its construction remains obscure and documentation is sketchy, the manufacturing year inscribed on a roof tile suggests the building came up in 1856.
The jail complex has eight 50 sq.ft cells, with 6ft concrete beds. In 2009, the Cochin Heritage Zone Conservation Society renovated the dilapidated building and opened it to the public on India’s 63rd Independence Day.
Recently, Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) converted the compound into a ‘museum’, named the Jail of Freedom Struggle. It also set up an open-stage space with cobblestone floors and vintage-style pillars.
However, there are no artefacts or history records that one would expect to see in a typical museum.
According to reports, several freedom fighters were incarcerated here. While it was thrown open to the public, several dignitaries claimed leaders such as A K Gopalan (AKG), E M S Namboothiripad (EMS), and Abdurahiman Sahib were once locked up in this jail. A local resident says the structure used to be a “transit jail”. “From here, prisoners were sent to various central jails,” he adds, requesting anonymity.
Earlier, the walls of the jail complex had portraits of popular figures of the freedom struggle, including Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru. Many of them were removed during renovation. Currently, one can see frames of AKG, EMS and Akkamma Cheriyan. Fort Kochi councillor Advocate Antony Kureethara says several famous freedom fighters were jailed here. “Some photos were removed, some retained or added. I am not sure if these leaders were jailed here,” he says. “Some groups have been trying to politicise the structure.”
Cochin Heritage Conservation Society nodal officer Boney Thomas says there is “a misconception” about the jail. “Seeing the photos of certain leaders in front of the cells, visitors often mistake that the leaders were once locked up in them,” he says. “In fact, the name ‘Jail of Freedom Struggle’ came about after the renovation in 2009. Someone might have put up those photos. None of them has the official nod.”
Boney adds that there is “no evidence” of any popular freedom fighter or leader being imprisoned here. “I have conducted a personal study, read several historical documents of Kochi, and gone through autobiographies,” he says. “I have also discussed it with historians, but could not trace any links,” he adds.
Amid the confusion over the jail’s history, some people have been demanding the reinstatement of the photos that were removed. With political interests clashing, a controversy is brewing.
“A thorough study is needed,” says Boney. “More research needs to be done. Also, if anyone comes up with documents or some evidence that connects freedom fighters with the jail, it would clear the confusion, and be a great contribution to history.”