Historic iron safe a living relic enclosed in apathy

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

LUCKNOW As India commemorates the centenary of the Kakori Train Action — one of the most audacious episodes of the freedom struggle — the most iconic artifact from the event, a heavy iron safe looted by revolutionaries on August 9, 1925, remains intact, yet mostly ignored, at a little-known museum at the Kakori railway station. The over 100-year-old iconic iron chest kept in a museum at Kakori railway station in Lucknow. (Sourced)
Often referred to as a 'guard box', the sturdy cast iron chest, sits preserved in a corner of the museum under Northern Railway (NR). It was this very box that freedom fighters, led by Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan, targeted while halting a train to seize British treasury money, a move that shook the Colonial government.
A century later, the box survives, but only in obscurity. The museum, which also houses other rare memorabilia such as a British-era brass bell, a wooden bench believed to have been present during the heist and 18 official documents related to the incident, sees barely any visitors in a year. So 'unknown' is the museum that when HT approached a senior railway official at the station to inquire about it, he expressed complete ignorance of its existence.
'I walk past the station every day and never knew there was a museum here,' said a local shopkeeper.
In the past, such iron chests were a key operational feature of Indian Railways used by guards to store vital documents, emergency supplies and cash. They were known for their robust build and strict access protocols involving multiple keys and officials. With the advent of digital systems, these boxes were phased out. But the one at Kakori is a living relic, its historical value unmatched.
Heritage activists and historians are dismayed. 'Instead of being a cornerstone of history education, the Kakori museum is on the verge of becoming a forgotten footnote,' said SK Sharma, a retired railway employee and history enthusiast. He urged authorities to integrate the museum more meaningfully into public memory, tourism, and education.
The Forgotten 'Guard Box'
The iron chest was an iconic part of the Indian Railways, believed to date back to the 1850s. Used for storing operational documents and cash, these safes featured layered security.
Most were phased out by the late 20th century, but the one looted in Kakori remains, quietly preserved, but rarely seen.