Costly antiques in CBI office

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="35.6%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><img src="/photo/1030334.cms" alt="/photo/1030334.cms" border="0" /></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: A priceless fifth century BC painted brick and a terracotta bangle from 2nd century BC gather dust in a corner of a cramped room at the CBI headquarters here.<br /> <br />These, along with a corroding 28-kg 15th century bronze statue of Ardhkali, a 9th century rare stone sculpture of Varah, are among 600 priceless antiques, 700 terracotta objects and nearly 800 manuscripts, palms and historic documents have currently accumulated in two rooms at the CBI headquarters.<br /><br />These articles - valued at over Rs 250 crores - and seized by the CBI during raids on illegal artifact dealers and smugglers, are lying unattended in two small cramped rooms, while cases drag on at the courts. <br /><br />Starting from exotic stone statues of Mahishashura Mardini, Parsavnath and a dancing Ganesha of the medieval period, the two dingy rooms on the sixth floor of the CBI building house four bronze figures of Shiva, Nataraja, Ram and Parvati which were given form during the rule of the Chandelas. <br /><br />"Many of these articles have been here for decades and some even date back to the period of the Ramayana" says a superintendent associated with the artefact-related crimes of the CBI. <br /><br />Apart from about 600 antiques, the cost of which runs into hundreds of crores, there are thousands of copper coins, stone seals and terracotta works. <br /><br />"Some of the artifacts even date back to the era of the epics and its difficult to estimate the age," says the officer. <br /><br />The country''s premier investigating agency is, however, finding it difficult to handle these antiques. <br /><br />"At any point of time there are at least 500 such articles lying in the CBI godown but we are ill-equipped when it comes to maintenance or preservation of these works," says a senior official. <br /><br />Since these antiques are handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India only after the cases are disposed of, the articles by then undergo irreparable damage due to lack of care. <br /><br />Some years back, the agency had even made a representation before the department of culture seeking appropriate custody for these articles at the National Museum of the National Gallery of Modern Art till the cases pertaining to them are disposed of. <br /><br />"Former Union minister Jagmohan had even visited us and assured the matter will be taken care off. But the project did not take off," said a senior CBI officer. <br /><br />The CBI in 2003 had even seized nine rare paintings of Raja Ravi Verma. But following litigation these paintings were handed over to the National Gallery of Modern Art in 2003 for their maintenance till the case is resolved. </div> </div>