610 antiquities retrieved from six countries including US during 2020-24: Govt

New Delhi: A total of 610 antiquities were retrieved from the US, the UK and four other countries over the last five years, the government informed Parliament on Monday.

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared this information in a written reply to a question on whether the government has conducted any survey or study regarding theft of Indian artefacts in the last five years; and details of the total number of artefacts recovered, still missing and unaccounted for over the same period.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) maintains up-to-date data of theft cases in respect of protected monuments, sites and museums under its jurisdiction, he said.

On retrieval of antiquities from abroad, according to the data shared by him, in 2020, three artefacts were brought back from Australia and five from the UK.

In 2021, 157 antiquities were brought back from the US and one each from Canada and the UK.

In 2023 and 2024, the figures stood at 105 (the US) and 297 (the US) respectively.

For the US, the total number of retrieved antiquities for 2020-24 stood at 559, and for Australia, the corresponding figures stood at 34.

The total number spanning the six countries -- the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, Italy and Thailand -- for 2020-24 stands at 610.

In response to another query, Shekhawat said, a total of 655 antiquities have been retrieved from foreign countries since 1976.