The ministry had earlier informed the panel that, because the Kohinoor was taken away before the Convention went into effect, there was no legal basis for demanding its return from the UK. The committee, however, has urged that further options be looked into to help the parties involved come to a mutually acceptable agreement.
Source: Hindustan Times
The Kohinoor is evidence of the widespread plunder and looting that characterized British rule in India. No less blatant than other colonial powers, they pillaged the areas under their authority all over the world. The best museums in Europe openly display antiquities that belong on other continents.
The Guardian had earlier this year gained access to a 1912 file that described how priceless items were extracted from India as trophies of conquest and later given to Queen Victoria. Regardless of the circumstances behind their theft, India must use diplomatic pressure to compel the UK to return these artifacts.
Source: WION
India has historically shown little interest in appreciating and preserving its cultural history, thus such an initiative is desperately needed. The situation is not much different today: according to the panel’s findings, only 30% of the nation’s antiquities have been identified thus far, and only 19% of the stolen artifacts from sites covered by the Archaeological Survey of India have been found so far.
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