Writers' Building — the phantom clerks of Kolkata's colonial secretariat

Writers' Building, the imposing colonial secretariat near B.B.D. Bagh (formerly Dalhousie Square) in Kolkata, served as the administrative headquarters of British India and later the Government of West Bengal. The massive building, dating to 1777, housed the 'writers' or junior clerks of the East India Company. Various stories claim the building is haunted by the ghosts of colonial-era administrators who continue to perform their duties. Night watchmen have reported hearing the scratch of quill pens on paper, the shuffle of documents, and seeing figures in 18th-century European dress sitting at desks in the empty offices. Some describe seeing candle light in windows where electricity has been switched off. The building also witnessed revolutionary violence — in 1930, three Bengali revolutionaries shot and killed a British officer inside the building. The spirits of both the colonizers and the freedom fighters are said to inhabit the structure. Writers' Building was closed for renovation in 2013, and workers during the restoration reported increased paranormal activity. The building's grand neo-Gothic façade, stretching nearly 150 metres along Dalhousie Square, gives it a monumental presence.