Fourteen arteFacts stolen in three years

Theft is more common in non-protected temples than in ASI protected ones.

In the last three years, 14 historical antiquities or artefacts have been reported stolen from Centrally protected monuments and museums across the country, according to a report available from the Ministry of Culture.

In 2014 and 2015, six cases of theft of artefacts or antiquities were reported each year, while in 2016 only two cases of theft have been reported till October. Most of the theft cases have been reported from the southern part of India, owing to its rich cultural and historical heritage.

In South India, Karnataka has reported the maximum number of cases of stolen artifacts in all the three years. In 2014, a Durga sculpture had been stolen from the premises of the Panchalingeswara Temple in Mandya district of Karnataka, while a black granite stone carved as Nandi was stolen from the Ramalingaeswara temple complex the same year. A schist stone Yaksha sculpture from Bhimesheshwara temple located in the Davangere district’s Neelgunda in Karnataka, too, was stolen.

Cases of theft have also been reported from states like Bihar, where a sculpture of Jain Tirthanker made of granite stone was stolen in 2014, while in Odisha a sculpture of Trivikrama (locally called Bali Vamana) was stolen from the premises of the ASI protected Varahanatha temple in May last year. Recently, three sculptures of standing figures of Shiva and Parvati, Lakulish (a prominent Shaivite revivalist) and Lakulish Shiva were reported stolen from the ancient ruins of Kalyanpur in Rajasthan.

A senior official in the ASI told this newspaper that the number of stolen artifacts or antiquities is much more than what has been reported because most of the times the temple authorities fail to report the matter to the police. Many artifacts that get stolen from temples do not come under the ASI. The official added that the cases of theft are much higher in the non-protected temples and monuments than the protected ones.

The official also pointed out that these stolen arti- facts are stolen and smuggled by well organised gangs and mafias that often enjoy good political connections. These mafias try to smuggle these antiquities under the garb of modern sculpture consignments.

However, the joint director general of the ASI, Dr Fonia told The Sunday Guardian, “The ASI takes all measures to protect each and every article which is under their custody. However, when sometimes artifacts are stolen, all efforts are made to recover the items from the nation where it has surfaced, through our missions abroad and prosecute the smugglers.”

Amongst the antiquities that have been stolen since 2014, none has been recovered yet. Three of these cases are being investigated by the CBI.

The Ministry of Culture said that the government is taking all measures to see that the stolen antiquities do not leave Indian territory. For this, the ASI has assigned the intelligence services at each international exit channels to assist the Customs authorities to verify the antiquities brought for export. Ever since the government has released a fresh notification on taxing gold, people fearing prosecution from the Income Tax department are flocking to their family jewellers to get the bills made for their old and unaccounted gold jewellery, which they may have received as gifts or ancestral wealth.

Jay Acharya ( name changed), a cycle manufacturer in Ahmedabad, Gujarat said, “We understand the good intentions of the government in wanting to make people disclose their gold assets. But it is unfair to prosecute people because they could not give the bill for the gold jewellery they had. India is a country with