Author: Vijay Sharma
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: May 8, 2003
Lucknow museum authorities sought
to unravel the mystery of the 'missing' Ayodhya inscription as reported
in a section of the media when they produced the contentious piece before
mediapersons on Wednesday and claimed that the piece never left the museum.
The inscription (number 53.4) which was brought to the state from the Nagar
Palika Sanghralaya of Faizabad in January 1953, is safe and intact, claimed
museum director Jitendra Kumar.
He refuted charges that the inscription
was missing from the museum and 'planted' at the disputed site in Ayodhya
by vested interests during the demolition of the Babri Mosque in 1992.
Kumar said he was not aware of any
other Ayodhya-related inscription bearing number XLIV in the museum as
their catalogue which was numeric in character did not list it. He said
the inscription in their possession was made of sandstone and not copper-plated.
No inference about the origin of
the piece could, however, be drawn from the shlokas etched on the inscription
as the all of them were incomplete, he added.
