Glasgow claims UK first in planned return of Indian artefacts

GLASGOW: Glasgow on Wednesday said it would return seven Indian cultural artefacts looted during British colonial rule, calling it a first for a UK museum service.

Six of the items were stolen from northern India in the 1800s, and a seventh was illegally purchased after being stolen from its original owners.

All seven objects were looted from sacred places such as temples and shrines and given as gifts to the Scottish city’s museum collections.

Glasgow’s repatriation commitment is part of a wider reassessment of the provenance of items in Western museums, in the wake of global anti-racism movements.

Officials are in talks with Indian diplomats and last week hosted a Nigerian delegation to discuss the repatriation of 19 Benin bronzes.

Earlier this year, two British universities returned two Benin bronzes looted by British colonialists in the 19th century to Nigeria.