Indian consulate in New York holds repatriation ceremony for trafficked antiquities handed over by US

On Monday, the Indian consulate in New York staged a ceremony to repatriate 105 trafficked artefacts that the US had turned over. According to a press release from the Indian Consulate General in New York, the artefacts will shortly be shipped to India.

The change happened after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official trip to the US in June 2023.

Speaking at the event, Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu commended the US side for their excellent support and collaboration, praising Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his Anti-Trafficking Unit in particular as well as the Homeland Security Investigation team.

He added that for Indians, these were more than just works of art; they were also a vital part of their culture and live history.

Sandhu on Monday tweeted: “105 Indian antiquities to return home! Delighted to attend a ceremony in #NewYork this morning, marking the restitution of artefacts following PM @narendramodi’s State Visit. Appreciate the cooperation extended in protection & exchange of cultural property.”

Senior members of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Homeland Security Investigation team attended the repatriation ceremony, according to the official statement.

India and the US agreed to cooperate on a Cultural Property Agreement during PM Modi’s state visit in order to help stop the illegal trafficking of cultural treasures. The dynamic bilateral cooperation between Homeland Security and the law enforcement agencies of the two nations will be further enhanced by such an arrangement.

The 105 artefacts come from all across India: 47 are from Eastern India, 27 are from Southern India, 22 are from Central India, 6 are from Northern India, and 3 are from Western India.

Terracotta, stone, metal, and wood make up the objects, which date from the second to third century CE to the eighteenth and nineteenth century CE. Islam, Jainism, and Hinduism are three major religions represented by about 50 items, with the others having cultural value.

The Indian government has been working hard to recover stolen Indian artefacts from overseas, which are tangible representations of the country’s rich past and culture.

On the restitution of artefacts, India and the US have recently worked closely together. 16 antiques were presented by the US side to the PM during his 2016 trip to the country.

Similar to this, the US government sent over 157 antiques to India in 2021 after the PM visited the US in September of that year. According to the announcement, the US side has given India a total of 278 cultural relics since 2016 in addition to these 105 antiquities.

According to reports, Prime Minister Modi’s first state visit to the US was a huge success.

The India-US joint statement sums up the sentiments and intent of both nations by stating that “Our cooperation will serve the global good as we work through a range of multilateral and regional groupings – particularly the Quad- to contribute toward a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo- Pacific. No corner of human enterprise is untouched by the partnership between our two great countries, which spans the seas to the stars”.

(With agency inputs)