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Ancient
idols stolen from Basti, inquiry demanded
Basti (Uttar Pradesh): In a bizarre incident, three 50-year-old idols of Lord Rama, Lakshmana and Sita were stolen from a temple in Basti in eastern Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. The devotees are now demanding a high-level inquiry in this regard. The priest of the temple was among the first to experience the disappearance of the idols in the afternoon. "When I brought prasad to the temple for the diety's bhog, I saw three idols missing.The three missing idols are of Lord Rama, Lakshmana and Sita and they are of 50 years old. I went to the police station to inform them", said the priest.
Meanwhile,
the local people have cast doubt on the smugglers active at the Indo-Nepal
border areas here. Basti in eastern UP is close to the Indo-Nepal border.
"It took place yesterday between 2 and 2.30 p.m. Nepal is near by and
I feel the idols have been smuggled out through this route. It is not
a national gang, rather an international gang is behind the incident",
said a local devotee. Being at the border, the area is touted as an active
workplace for international smugglers, as a lot of such incidents have
taken place in the past too.The locals fear that these vintage idols which
have high values in the international market are being taken out through
Nepal. "Earlier, a similar theft took place, in which people of Basti
were involved. I don't know their intentions but through Nepal, these
people are making our heritage, the property of the country, abroad",
said a local. Angry locals are also demanding the intervention of the
Ministry of External Affairs and the Home Ministry in this regard.
-
Nov 24, 2005
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