Bangladesh News

All the 42 artefacts that the government had sent for an exhibition at Guimet Museum in Paris on December 1 last year were brought back home yesterday.

On completion of the customs formalities, the 10 boxes containing the relics were taken directly to the Bangladesh National Museum at 12 noon from the Zia International Airport (ZIA).

“The customs officials opened all the sealed boxes and checked the items at the airport in front of government-formed expert committee and the media,” Director General of National Museum Samar Chandra Paul said. All the items returned safely, he added.

Cultural Affairs Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury received the artefacts early in the morning when a cargo flight of Air France carrying the priceless relics touched down at the ZIA.

Officials concerned, including Cultural Affairs Secretary Sharful Alam and representatives from ministries of home and international affairs were present at the time.

Under a cultural exchange agreement with France, the government dispatched the artefacts on December 1, 2007 despite protests from art connoisseurs. Of those, 14 were taken from Barind Research Museum, 10 from the National Museum and 18 from the museums of Mahasthangarh, Paharpur and Mainamati.

Sources working with the National Museum said that they got back their 10 items. These are — Surya (black stone), Parnasavari (black stone), Gaja Laksmi (black stone), Marici (black stone), Mahamaya (black stone), Heruka (black stone), Lokanatha (bronze), Nataraj (black stone), Bodhisattava (wood) and Inscription (black stone).

Names of the other artefacts could not be known immediately.

While sending the second consignment of 145 items on 21 December 2007, the National Museum’s 1500-year-old terracotta statues ‘Vishnu’ and ‘Bust of Vishnu’ were stolen from the cargo village of ZIA. Following the theft, the government requested the French government to cancel the exhibition of the masterpieces.

The then adviser to the cultural affairs resigned and former secretary of the cultural affairs was suspended after the incident.

The law enforcers later recovered the broken pieces of the idols at a garbage dumping ground in Aminbazar on the outskirts of the capital.

The government, however, did not make the probe report of the heist public yet.

A group of eminent Bangladeshi citizens raised their voice against sending the artefacts to Paris and filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition with the High Court.