No trace of lost treasure-a copy of Quran for years
By: Rafiullah
SRINAGAR, INDIAN-HELD KASHMIR: While the police here are still
clueless about the theft four years ago of Kashmir's lost treasure-a
copy of the Quran, written in golden ink bearing the seal of Mughal
Emperor Aurangzeb, an official of the state archives department has
claimed inaction for years over his inquiry report.
The government has finally woken up to the loss. The State
Government's department of culture will write to the police asking it
to explain its failure in making any headway in the case.
According to a police official the prized manuscript was mysteriously
stolen in 2003 from the Sri Pratap Singh Museum (SPS), Srinagar, and a
first information report (FIR) was lodged with the city's Raj Bagh
police station.
"The rare Quranic manuscript was stolen in 2003. I conducted an
inquiry into the circumstances that led to the theft and made
recommendations, including for punitive action against the erring
officials at the museum whose negligence made the theft possible,"
said Muhammad Shafi Zahid, deputy director at the state's archives
department.
"But senior officials of the department kept my inquiry report
unattended all these years," he claimed.
"The matter was brought to the notice of the commissioner/secretary of
the higher education department who agreed with my findings and that
is how the present interest was generated in the matter," Zahid said.
"On my recommendations, physical verification was also carried out at
the museum by professors from Benaras Hindu University, Baroda
University and the Centre for Asian Studies at Kashmir University. The
verification revealed that many rare manuscripts and books worth
millions are missing from the museum," he added.
"Because of the importance and significance of the case,
investigations were later transferred to the crime branch of the state
police. We are investigating the matter, but no accused has still been
identified," said a crime branch official.
"The manuscript is worth millions of rupees and if sold clandestinely
it could fetch a heavy price," another police officials said here.
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"Knowledge is
better than wealth because it protects you while you have to
guard wealth. it decreases if you keep on spending it but the
more you make use of knowledge ,the more it increases . what you
get through wealth disappears as soon as wealth disappears but
what you achieve through knowledge will remain even after you."MORE
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