Shimla, Nov 28 (IANS) In an attempt to stall the auction of a gallantry medal awarded by the British government to an Indian soldier in 1946, the Himachal Pradesh Police Saturday contacted the auction house in London and sought to drive home the point that the decoration was stolen.
‘Now we are in direct contact with the auctioneers in London and trying to convince them that the medal listed for action is actually a stolen one and its auction is illegal,’ Additional Director General of Police I.D. Bhandari told IANS Saturday.
‘They are quite convinced with the initial inputs provided by us. They told us to send us all the evidence as soon as possible to substantiate our claim that the medal was stolen property,’ he added.
The gallantry medal has been listed for auction Dec 2.
Naik Kirpa Ram of the 8th Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles of the British Indian Army, was awarded the George Cross for sacrificing his life to save his his fellow soldeirs from harm while disposing of a misfired rifle grenade at a camp in Bangalore. The incident had occured Sep 12, 1945. His wife, Brahmi Devi, received the medal from the then Viceroy, Field Marshal Archibald Wavell, when she was just 13.
However, the medal was stolen from her house in Bharpal village in Bilaspur district in 2002. Meanwhile, the auctioneers said she had herself ‘disposed off’ the medal in 2000.
‘We have collected most of the evidence which points to the medal being stolen from the house of Brahmi Devi. The signed, stamped and witnessed affidavits with the auctioneers claiming that the medal was sold by Brahmi Devi are forged,’ Bhandari maintained.
‘All the evidence would be e-mailed to the auctioneers by Monday morning,’ he added.
‘The auctioneers seemed to be quite positive about our claims. We are hopeful that the medal would not be listed for the Dec 2 auction,’ he said.
Brahmi Devi has already denied that she had ever sold the medal – Britain’s highest civilian honour for bravery – to anyone.
‘Even though I have been living in abject poverty, I could not have parted with the last remembrance of my husband that I had,’ Brahmi Devi told IANS.
The medal could fetch around 20,000 pounds at the auction.
