Maha sets sight on buying India House

The Maharashtra government has decided to acquire the historic “India House” in London and convert it into a memorial honouring India’s freedom struggle, Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar said on Wednesday.

- Kalpesh Mhamunkar

The property, once home to freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, will be restored and preserved as a symbol of India’s revolutionary past.

Shelar, who recently returned from London after overseeing the retrieval of the historic sword of Raghuji Raje Bhonsale, said the bid to bring India House under state custodianship had gained backing from the Indian community in the UK as well as from Nashik MLA Devyani Farande.

Following a review meeting held at the Cultural Affairs Ministry on Wednesday, attended by Farande and senior officials from the General Administration, Cultural Affairs, and Archaeology departments, the government cleared the way for a formal proposal. A panel will now be set up under the chairmanship of senior bureaucrat Mitra, with members drawn from the departments concerned.