“These men peep into our houses and make obscene gestures at women and children. We want to see it levelled.” More than the so-called ghosts, locals were worried about the addicts and criminals hanging around the dilapidated structure, they said.Yasmeen Kamaran, another resident, said women’s purses had been snatched by those living in the building. This haunted building had kept us scared for nights together. There was not a single day when we did not talk about some soul lurking there.” Pointing at the women watching the wreckers at work, Meghna Kiyawat said: “We have completed our household course and gathered here. A sub-inspector of Koh-e-Fiza thana said, “It’s tough to stop the kids from going near the structure.” Saraswati Dongri, who lives in a nearby slum, said: “It is good that the building is being demolished as it had made it difficult for us to venture out after sunset” Asked if she was scared of the ‘ghosts’, she waved a hand dismissively, and said, “We were always in fear of criminals hiding there. They were worried that debris from the demolition might ricochet off and hit someone. Policemen were seen running after the children, waving the baton in the air, to stop them from going near Bhoot Bangla. The children kept the cops on their toes. It has paved a ground for us to play,” he laughed. “We are done with our homework and gathered to see the building being demolished. Where are the ghosts?” Another child, Asim Khan, said he had always “dreamt of stepping into Bhoot Bangla”.
I have been hearing about evil spirits in Bhoot Bangla for years. Aslam Khan, a class 4 student who stays in a multi-storied building near Bhoot Bangla, said: “It’s a holiday, and I could not resist coming here. Some cheered when a large portion would come crashing down. Reduced to bits of bricks and stone, the building wasn’t scary any more. On Wednesday, children were playing on the rubble. Many of them were children, who were so far terrified of going anywhere near the eerie compound - their parents had fed them enough bedtime stories of the ghosts and demons of Bhoot Bangla. There was a bigger crowd to watch the final hammer on the ‘ghostly’ address. Five JCB and a pokland machine took around five hours to level it to the ground. The wrecking renewed in clear daylight on Wednesday. Perhaps, no one wanted to stay there after dark.
The BMC demolition, which began around noon on Tuesday, was stopped abruptly at 5pm. Bhoot Bangla is the only identity for our area and it will be so even after demolition,” he said.
Asim Khan, a local, said: “Our address will always be ‘near Bhoot Bangla’, as this was a historic building. The 2-acre land on which the home of many a legend stood is now a barren plot, pockmarked by debris from the building that stood witness to no less than six murders. Doesn’t matter if the haunted house is razed, it continues to be our address as long as we live here,” said Asim Khan, a local resident staring at the plume of dust as the iron claws of a JCB brought the remaining structure down in Lalghati on Wednesday. “Have I lost my name after the death of my father? No. Along with the laughter of children playing in the rubble. “Bhoot Bangla se dus kadam (a short walk from the eerie mansion),” will still be heard. Certainly not out of Bhopalis’ memories when it comes to giving directions. BHOPAL: The city’s most haunted address may be down, but not out.
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