A police station is an unlikely place for a 1,500-old Buddha statue, which should be in a museum. But, the two-and-half-feet tall statue is in the Sivakanchi police station since 1992 when it was found uncared for.
The police department has now decided to provide fencing for the statue, besides obtaining a certificate from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that will testify to its antiquity, according to a police release.
When W.I. Dawaram was Director General of Police in the mid-1990s, he had ordered the provision of a pedestal for the statue. Pradeep V Philip, the Additional Director General of Police (Economic Offences Wing), who had earlier worked as Superintendent of Police in Kancheepuram, felt that the statue could belong to 3 century BC.
ADVERTISEMENT
The SP of the district C. Vijakumar has been advised to make arrangements for fencing and obtaining the ASI certificate.