Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Management of museums in the city say that they do have exhibits of historical and archaeological importance but they won’t fetch much money in the black market, unlike the exhibits at the State Museum.
Still, they view the Tuesday’s theft bid at the State Museum as a wake-up call and some of them have decided to go for a review of their security arrangements. A thief, who fell down while trying to scale the boundary wall of the State Museum, was caught along with coins reportedly worth around Rs 15 crore on Tuesday afternoon.
Besides coins, the State Museum has around 300 clay, stone and metal statues, paintings, weapons, and pieces of jewellery which are valuable in monetary terms. The museum has around 50 CCTV cameras.
Some of them, however, were reportedly non-functional. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, the biggest museum in terms of area (about 200 acres) in the city, has a security system with 52 CCTV cameras and 50 guards, who are on duty round-the-clock.
PRO of IGRMS, Ashok Sharma, said that they hardly have anything which can draw thieves. “A few things which are of antique value are displayed in locked glass cases,” he said, adding that “the guards at the gates as well as the attendants at our 12 galleries make sure that the number of people who go in is equal to the number of people who come out.”
In-charge at Birla Museum, BK Lokhande said that they don’t have any gold coins, only silver ones weighing around 100 grams. The museum has 11 galleries which display pottery, sculptures and prehistoric tools. “We have a CCTV camera at the entrance gate and two guards,” he said.
Director of Janjatiya Lok Kala Evam Boli Vikas Akademi, Dharmendra Pare said that MP Tribal Museum does not have any original artefact. “Whatever is on display are replicas,” he said. The Museum has more than 90 CCTV cameras and nine guards who work in three shifts. “The canteen on our premises opens at 9 am and closes at 8 pm. So, there are always people around,” he said, adding that “but one should learn from every incident and we will also review our security arrangements.”
Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH) Scientist C Manik Lal Gupta said that they have five galleries and seven guards. “We have a two-layer iron gate and also our caretakers who live nearby have been instructed to make surprise inspections of the premises at night,” he said, adding that their exhibits include skeletons of animals and fossils which would be of hardly any interest to a thief.
Original or replica left unspecified
Manoj Kumar Kurmi, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI, Bhopal Circle said, "We don’t have any museum in Bhopal but we do have museums at Chanderi, Shivpuri, Sanchi and Gwalior. We have a fool-proof security and surveillance system. I, however, cannot disclose the details to you. We never specify whether an exhibit is an original or a replica."
