‘Top secret’ files from British era, freedom struggle found hidden at CSMT

MUMBAI: Central Railway (CR) officials last week stumbled upon 12 to 15 ‘secret’ files in a room at the CSMT headquarters. Dating back to the late 1920s and early 1930s, the files were in a surprisingly intact condition, without any damage done by termites or other elements.

According to the officials, the files were found scattered in a room on the ground floor of the heritage building, which was near the recently restored 19th-century basement vault beneath the CSMT headquarters. The vault was apparently built to securely store daily cash collections overnight, which were brought in from various ticket counters across the railway network.

Many of the files seen by HT were made of hard cardboard, with GIPR (Great Indian Peninsula Railway) written on them. Sources said that most, marked ‘Confidential’ or ‘Top Secret’, were from the security, traffic, construction and engineering departments, and back in the British era, came under the Official Secrets Act of 1923.

They are about providing police protection, sending railway staff and workers to assist the army, internal conflicts, political rebellions, and the Indian freedom struggle,” said an official. “These also contain information about the general administration, rail strike, and movement of the army during war.