The Editor
The Goan on Saturday,
Subject: Picking up the architectural member from St AugustineComplex and Church of St Cajetan, Old Goa
Ajay Thakur and Lewin Rodrigues,
With reference to the newspaper clippings on the subjectcited above here. I would like to inform you that our monuments are open forvisitors from 8.30 am till 5.30 pm. Henceyour picking up the architectural member from the protected monuments at 06.00pm from the monuments counts to be trespassing for any law abiding citizen ofour country.
I strongly condemn this act of yours. As per the AM&ASR (Amendment and Validation)Act 2010 under section 30 (iii) of this act whoever removes any sculpture,carving, image bas-relief, inscription or other like object shall be punishablewith imprisonment extended to two years or fine of Rs. 1,00,000 or both. Inthis case you have removed the carving which was the architectural member ofthe St Augustine Complex as stated by you.
Why this office should not register a theft case under Sec.30 (iii) on you for removing the architectural member from the CentrallyProtected Monument. Hence you are hereby advised to bring back thearchitectural member immediately under intimation to this office to avoid anylegal formalities to be followed up. Youare also asked not to carry out such illegal act and instigate people about it.
Yours faithfully,
Superintending Archaeologist
ASI, Goa Circle
Church Complex, Old Goa
The Superintending Archaeologist
ASI
Dear Mr Rao,
Thank you for your email dated September 12, 2012. It isindeed disturbing to see that the premier body of ASI in Goa responds to such ashocking lapse 10 days after The Goan on Saturday has reported on it, on September1, 2012.
Your admission of the fact that an architectural member ofthese protected monuments has been picked up or stolen is quite contrary towhat you told our reporter - “All the items under our care are very safe here.”
You also say in your letter that “your picking up thearchitectural member from the protected monuments at 6.00 pm from the monumentscounts to be trespassing for any law abiding citizen of our country” when youyourself had told our reporter “Our attendants who are in respective monumentskeep a check, but once their duties end at 5.30 pm, it is the responsibility ofthe Church to take care of it”. Our question, when the monument is not underyour custody at that time, have you raised the matter with the Church ratherthan us?
Sir, our intention was not to instigate the public as youhave charged us but to draw your attention to your own hollow claims ofproviding security to our architectural heritage, which we find questionableand needs a tighter scrutiny.
The Goan on Saturday condemns your inability to stop thenumber of times these structures may have been pilfered. At the same time wesay it with pride that we carried out this exercise to draw your attention tothe fact that a place so near to the Museum of Christian Art (which was thescene of a big robbery and murder early this year) has such a lax securityconcern for Goa’s as well as India’s priceless heritage.
With these words we are returning the artifacts not out offear but with pride of an exercise well concluded.
Sincerely
Team Investigations
