KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 14

Nepal Police have taken initiatives to return valuable centuries-old statues, idols, and artefacts that were left unattended for decades inside police stations of the three districts - Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur - in the valley.

On February 18, The Himalayan Times had covered a news story related to the statues and artefacts that were dumped inside the police stations along with other waste materials.

After the news was published, the Department of Nepal Police of Kathmandu valley had written to the Department of Archaeology to receive the statues.

The valley police had also sent circulars to all the district police offices to gather information on the statutes that were left at the police station for a long time and return them to the concerned authorities.

Bhaktapur Police Range today returned 24 statues and archaeologically important artefacts to the Department of Archaeology. Of those returned are four wooden statues , 12 stone statues, one mud statue, four bronze statues, one iron statue, one crystal statue and one silver artefact.

After Bhaktapur police, Patan police is all set to return 22 such artefacts and Hanumandhoka police is preparing to return 19 such artefacts to the concerned authorities.

A brief investigation by THT had identified around 25 statues from five police circles inside Kathmandu district.

Upon receiving the statues, the DoA has handed them to Chhauni-based National Museum for its safety.

Sabita Neupane, the authorised officer from the DoA said they would first investigate the whereabouts of the returned statues before replacing them at their rightful place. 'But if the whereabouts of the statues are not known, we will have to keep them in the museums under our jurisdiction.'

Meanwhile, locals and activists have expressed their dissatisfaction for not involving them in the whole process. Yadab Lal Kayastha, who initiated a campaign to return stranded statues from the police stations, said the authorities should have asked for the help of local experts to identify the statues and replace them at the rightful place before sending them to the museum.

'The first place of such statues and artefacts are their rightful temples in the valley. The DoA should seek suggestions from local experts and historians regarding each retrieved artefact,' Kayastha said.

Director General of DoA Damodar Gautam refused to comment on the matter.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 15, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.