This story is from May 5, 2016

A month on, NU fails to file FIR in Vakataka coin case

A month on, NU fails to file FIR in Vakataka coin case
Nagpur: Nagpur University administration continues to dilly-dally in missing Vakataka coins case. Ever since it was exposed that the precious Vakataka era coins worth crores went missing from the department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, top officials led vice chancellor Siddarthavinayaka Kane are citing lame excuses to delay the probe.
Surprisingly, the top police officials too are reluctant to register a complaint citing some or other reason, say NU insiders.

Speaking to TOI on April 26, the VC had said that within a week, an FIR would be lodged as they had recovered the five-member panel probe report on missing artefacts from the department. Till date, no progress has been made.
The insiders disclosed that efforts were on to save the high profile accused. There were plans to put back Vakataka era coins back in museum in a clandestine way just like they had put back Mughal era coins, which were found by the peon in a close packet. They stated that such old coins could be procured from Delhi. They also claimed that the NU administration had directed the department officials to make new stock registers, sans listing missing articles to allegedly save the accused.
Denying the allegations, Kane said that they had set May 10 deadline for head of the department Preety Trivedi to make a new list of present and missing articles as per findings of the probe report. “We’ve given her the entire list as per the panel’s findings. She has been told to prepare a detailed list with present and missing artefacts with dates of excavation. Later, the new list would be provided to NU standing counsel for legal opinion on drafting the complaint in proper format so that it doesn’t get rejected by the cops,” he told TOI, while assuring that FIR would be formally lodged before May 15.

Endorsing his views, registrar Puran Meshram stated that making a list of missing and present antiquities was a tedious process. “The probe report had provided list of entire artefacts missing from the department, besides coins. It included many precious ones. We’ve told the HoD to make a fresh list and to search every nook and corner of museum and almirah kept therein. Like they recovered Mughal era coins, there is every possibility other artefacts could be found,” he said.
Insiders raised suspicion on the entire affair as the same NU administration had lodged a police complaint against management councillor Mahendra Nimbarte, just a day after he allegedly made some objectionable remarks against NU’s functioning. He was not even given a chance to clarify his stand.
In this case, the VC himself volunteered to conduct an inquiry despite the fact that he was not an expert in numismatics field. He then decided to constitute a panel under noted historian BR Andhare to probe the coins theft, but dropped the idea after missing report was returned by divisional commissioner Anoop Kumar, who was acting VC at that time. Initially, he showed reluctance to lodge FIR stating that coins were gifted ones and not NU’s property.
How the things unfolded?
* Coins theft comes to fore in March last week
* VC reluctant to lodge FIR stating that those were gifted
* He investigated department officials
* Then decided to constitute panel under historian BR Andhare
* After recovering probe report, he told HoD to make list of missing articles
* VC now says NU will take legal opinion before lodging FIR
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