Patiala, October 5
Three priceless miniature paintings have gone missing from a painted chamber of the “Ranwas” building of the Quila Mubarak complex in the city.
Even though the disappearance was noticed during a visit of a high-powered committee of the state government on October 2, no case has been registered in the matter so far.
There were four miniature paintings on all four corners of the painted chamber. One miniature painting of Guru Gobind Singh went missing in 1996 and has not been traced, despite an investigation into the matter. The three paintings which have gone missing now depicted gods — Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh — in various moods.
Attempts are being made to pass the buck over the responsibility of the miniature paintings between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which has been restoring the “Ranwas” building and the Punjab Government Conservator who is posted in the Quila Mubarak complex.
While Conservator Balwant Singh has claimed that the charge of the painted chamber was not handed over to him by ASI staff, it has claimed that the charge was not taken from it by the Conservator after the roof of the painted chamber was restored sometime back.
Mr Balwant Singh has finally made the issue official yesterday by informing the Cultural Affairs and Archives Directorate about the disappearance of the miniature paintings. The department Secretary D S Jaspal, said he had not received the report as yet but he would look up the matter immediately as disappearance of three miniature paintings was a “serious’’ matter.
According to sources, conservationist Gurmet Rai, who is involved in the proposed restoration project
of he Quila Mubarak, visited the complex along with various experts on October 2. Team members expressed
desire to see the tainted chamber in the “Ranwas” building during the visit.
Cultural Affairs and Archives officials, facilitating the visit of the team told its members that the key to the painted chamber was in the possession of the ASI staff. As the staff was not present in the complex the team went to the painted chamber and saw that the door of an alternate staircase leading to it was twisted and could allow the entry into the chamber.
The team subsequently entered the chamber and saw that all the three miniatures paintings were missing. These the sources said, had been removed from under a glass case.
The sources said while the department officials pleaded that the ASI was responsible for the painted chamber, the ASI officials, who came to the site the next day, said the department officials had not been taking over the charge of the painted chamber from them.
Following this both sides kept asking each other to register a police case in the matter. However this was not done and only yesterday, the Conservator reported the matter to the Directorate. Mr Balwant Singh said the ASI should get a case registered in the matter as the painted chamber was still in their possession.
