President orders probe, many historic artefacts found missing from Rashtrapati Bhavan

New Delhi, Oct 20: President Pranab Mukherjee after assuming office has ordered a detailed inventory of historic artefacts in the sprawling Rashtrapati Bhavan, and it was found that the table at which Lord Irwin and Mahatma Gandhi signed the historic 1931 Gandhi-Irwin pact was missing. Similarly, a study table used by the last British viceroy Lord Mountbatten was also missing. A report in the Hindi daily Jagaran says, rare furnitures, paintings or gifts have been reportedly taken away by some senior officials posted at Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Pranab Mukherjee has ordered that all such historic artefacts be brought back and a big museum be set up inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan, which could be opened to visitors. The report said, senior officials posted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, formerly Viceroy House, had taken away several rare artefacts with them. Preliminary inquiry showed, some of the artefacts went out with some former Presidents, but they are all accounted for. For example, the earlier incumbent Pratibha Patil took 155 artefacts with her, and they have been accounted for. Patil has created a mini-museum at her new residence. These artefacts could later be brought back to Rashtrapati Bhavan. Similarly, some artefacts went out with former president Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, and they are also accounted for. Official sources said, the president while leaving the Rashtrapati Bhavan are allowed to take only books received as gifts, nothing else. But some other officials took away some rare artefacts. Joint Secretary Gayatri Kumar has been assigned the task to collate facts and arrange for return of the historic artefacts from the residences of former officials. The idea of setting up a museum in Rashtrapati Bhavan came up when Mukherjee was discussing matters with Congress president Sonia Gandhi soon after filing his nomination for President. Sonia Gandhi reportedly told Mukherjee that Indira Gandhi used to tell her that the Rashtrapati Bhavan was a storehouse of important artefacts relating to India's history, but they were not being preserved. She also disclosed information she had got from her husband the late Rajiv Gandhi. Soon after his arrival at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Mukherjee went to the Toshakhana (storehouse) to watch the artefacts lying there. He found several rare artefacts including paintings lying strewn around. For example, nearly half a dozen rare paintings by Jamini Roy were found lying unattended, and Mukherjee ordered that four of those paintings be put in his drawing room, and two of them in the study. The President's Secretariat has contacted Padma awardee interior designer Sunita Kohli for designing the new museum. In 1982, the then prime minister Indira Gandhi had used the services of Sunita Kohli for interior decoration of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.