Kolkata's Writers' Building Lit Up In 'Saffron' To Welcome New BJP CM | Watch

Kolkata: West Bengal is on the brink of a huge political shift, as the BJP government with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in on Saturday, marking the first time a right-wing government has come to power in the state. The saffron party which is known to believe in symbolism, has decided to shift its administrative headquarters back to Kolkata’s iconic Writers’ Buildings instead of Nabanna, located in Howrah, across the Hooghli, from where the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government operated.

The Writers’ Buildings and several other government offices in central Kolkata were lit up in orange-coloured lights on Friday evening, soon after the Chief Minister was announced.

The Historic Significance Of Writers’ Buildings

Built in 1780, the iconic Writers’ Buildings in Kolkata stands out for its grand architecture, featuring a red facade and imposing Corinthian columns across its three-storey structure. Designed by builder Thomas Lyon, the complex was initially intended as accommodation for junior clerks of the East India Company, who were commonly referred to as “writers." This term eventually gave the building its name.

During the administration of Warren Hastings, the complex was transformed into an administrative hub and steadily emerged as the centre of governance in Bengal.

The building also has an important chapter in India’s freedom movement. In 1930, revolutionaries Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta entered the premises of the building and assassinated Lt Col N S Simpson, the Inspector General of Prisons, who had gained notoriety for the brutal treatment of Indian freedom fighters.

After Independence, Writers’ Buildings became the administrative headquarters of successive West Bengal governments. Every chief minister, from Prafulla Chandra Ghosh in 1947 to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in 2011, operated from this building, until former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee shifted the state secretariat to Nabanna after assuming office.

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