Bagai Mahal demolished in DI Khan
The historic palace of a local Hindu Seth Dam Ras Bagai located inside the old walled city of Dera Ismail Khan in K-P has been demolished despite the fact that old buildings are protected under the antiquity act.
Talking to The Express Tribune a local historian and writer Hafiz Gilani said that the palace has been purchased by a local who is now demolishing it despite the fact that they met the local Deputy Commissioner earlier and he posted police guards at the building to prevent any such attempt.
“Now the guards are deployed outside but inside the house is being demolished by the owner without inviting any attention. The house has been in private hands because it was allotted to a migrant family soon after partition,” he said, adding that it was a great loss for the city.
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Dam Ras Bagai was the head of Bagai family who were famous land owners and businessmen of Dera before the partition. Their residence situated in Multani Mohalla inside the old walled city was known as Bagai Mahal. It was built in the late 1800s and it is said to be at least 125 years old. Bagai were well known for their philanthropy and were considered super rich. Their armada of Rolls Royce, Cheverlet and other cars was well known and the family men were voracious non-vegetarians whose favourite pastime was trapping quails.
But above all the Bagai are known for the establishment of a Vedic college in Dera using their own money which rivaled the Islamia College of Peshawar. They established a TB ward in the local hospitals and several dispensaries for the poor.
Talking to The Express Tribune, the grandson of Das Ram Bagai, Atul Bagai, who is now living in Thailand, said that his family was devastated by this news. “My grandfather Rai Sahab Das Ram Bagai saved Dera Ismali Khan by moving heaven and earth to build a ‘bund’ which saved the city (from floods) to this day. Another ancestor Tahal Ram built two canals known as Nar Tehal Ram and Nar Uttam Chand which converted barani land into irrigated one. This enriched a generation of farmers. This fact can be brought out from their archives,” he said.
Ghulam Abass Sial, a writer from Dera, said that the contribution of the Bagai and a few other Hindu families can’t be forgotten.
“They used their own resources to develop Dera and the British Administration also supported them happily. They were economic lifeline of Dera. When they migrated the local economy crashed and has never ever recovered to this day. Dera was a famous business center because of these few families,” he said, adding that government should purchase this palace and turn it into a museum.
When approached DC Arifullah Awan said that he has no idea whether it is Auqaf property or private one.
“We have written to the Archeology Department for its preservation,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 22nd, 2021.