WATCH: US holds repatriation ceremony for handover of 105 trafficked antiquities to India

The Indian Consulate in New York held a repatriation ceremony to formally return 105 trafficked antiquities as a follow-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic state visit to the US where both countries agreed to strengthen working towards a Cultural Property Agreement.

The handover took place on Monday following which US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said that the US government is working to pave the way for returning more artwork that needs to be in India.

The antiquities belong to the ancient era, from the 2nd-3rd Century CE to the 18th-19th Century CE.

#WATCH | A repatriation ceremony for 105 trafficked antiquities handed over by the US side was held at the Indian Consulate in New York today as a follow-up to the historic State visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to the United States in June. pic.twitter.com/SxkSWpqW94

— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2023

“We have been working as an embassy in the US government on returning the art that needs to be in India. This has often come from India sometimes it’s been stolen and illegally sold. Whether it’s the District Attorney’s office here or the Metropolitan Museum has sometimes identified that art and been a wonderful actor, to say, ‘This doesn’t smell right, this needs to go back to India’,” Garcetti told ANI.

He added, “Whether it’s the cultural agreement that PM Modi and President Biden announced during the state visit. We’re going to finish negotiating that in the coming months so that it doesn’t just depend on the goodwill of one year, but it’s going to be a permanent part of our new friendship and relationship.”

VIDEO | “The India-US friendship has never been stronger and Americans in the world are learning more and more about India. This bridge that we are building has never been stronger,” says US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti at the reception held at the The Metropolitan Museum of… pic.twitter.com/R92AsTGbpY

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 18, 2023

During Modi’s visit, US and India decided to add value to bilateral relationships. The antiquities will now be transported to India where they will be kept under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) until it is decided whether they should be repatriated to their respective states of origin.

Garcetti also attended the launch of the Buddhist stone sculpture exhibition, which will be from July 21 to November 13. Titled ‘Tree and Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India 200 BCE-400 CE,’ focuses on the Deccan’s pivotal role in shaping the Buddhist landscape of early India and beyond.

India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu was also present at the exhibition.

With inputs from agencies