An Indian woman, claiming to be the heir of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, has called for the ownership of the historic Red Fort (Lal Qila) in New Delhi.
The monument, now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was once the seat of Mughal power.
Sultana Begum, who lives in a small, two-room house in a slum on the outskirts of Kolkata, claims to be the rightful heir of the castle.
She claims to be the wife of Mirza Mohammad Bedar Bakht, the great-grandson of India’s last Mughal ruler, who died in 1980. Since his death, the old lady has struggled a lot and survives on a meager pension.
Sultana Begum has spent the past decade petitioning authorities to recognize her royal status and compensate accordingly.
“The descendant of the emperors who built Taj Mahal now lives in desperate poverty,” the 68-year-old rued in an interview with AFP.
Begum told the news agency that she had lodged a court case demanding the ownership of historic Red Fort, which she claims to be the rightful heir of.
“I hope the government will give me justice,” she said. Further adding, “When something belongs to someone, it should be returned.”
Symbolic Importance of Red Fort
The Red Fort was built by Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, in 1638 and had since served as the home to the members of the Mughal dynasty until parts of it were demolished by the British invaders during the first uprising in 1857.
The castle has since become a symbol of freedom from British rule.
India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, hoisted the Indian flag from the fort’s Lahori Gate to mark the first day of independence in August 1947. The ritual has since been repeated every year on Independence Day.
