Kasmir Monitor: Jammu: Wednesday, January 31, 2018.
Jammu
University denies possession of rare mammoth fossil that was illegally
transported from Kashmir and has been housed in the varsity Wadia Museum of
Natural History (WMNH) since 2007.
In response
to an RTI filed by the author and historian Khalid Bashir Ahmad, the Jammu
University’s Museum has claimed to have “no traces of mammoth fossil in the
institute”.
In 2000,
students and teachers of Sopore Degree College had discovered a fossil of
mammoth at Galandhar, Pampore, comprising of complete lower and upper jaws, a
broken tusk and a vertebra during a study tour.
The carbon
dating method of upper strata of the Pampore Karewa, had estimated the fossil
to be at least 50,000 years old.
Later in
2007, it came to light that the fossil was missing from the place, which later
unearthed that a teacher from Jammu University had illegally transported it
from Galandhar to the Jammu University.
Author,
historian Khalid Bashir Ahmad said he had the pictorial evidences of the
mammoth fossils housed in the Jammu University’s museum since 2007.
He said the
university administration in responses to the RTI have continuously denied any
information about the presence of fossil in the university.
The RTI
documents, which Ahmad shared with The Kashmir Monitor, said the Public
Information Officer (PIO), Jammu University, Imran Farooq, in his response
dated December 4, 2017, had earlier refused to provide information to the RTI
on the ground of not being related to public interest.
“That the
information sought by you is not related to any public activity or interest and
also does not involve the larger public interest. Justify the public interest
in the disclosure of the information sought,” the RTI response from PIO to
Ahmad said.
Ahmad said
that Jammu University administration have been maintaining silence over the
illegal possession of the rare mammoth fossil.
“Intriguingly,
the PIO maintains a loud silence on whether the Galandhar fossil missing from
Kashmir, was surreptitiously brought to Jammu University in 2007. He is also
silent on whether the University knew that the fossil had been illegally
brought from Kashmir, and whether it supported this illegal act,” he said.
Ahmad said,
“Silence is equally maintained on whether the University will return the
fossil, and on its response to requests made earlier for its return in view of
the then Vice Chancellor’s assurance. Of all the points raised in the RTI
application, the PIO has chosen only to respond to the query whether the fossil
has been installed at the newly established WMNH.”
The noted
author slammed the Kashmir University and Department of Archives, Archaeology
and Museums for being “callous” in retaining the rare fossil.
“Despite
spending tens of thousands of rupees on its excavation in 2000, it literally
looked the other way when it was stolen from Galandhar. Neither did the
Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums step in. I am afraid the
Kashmir University is tacitly helping Jammu University in retaining the
fossil,” he said.
Expressing
the importance of the rare mammoth fossil for Kashmir, Ahmad said that experts
believed its unearthing was one of the most significant archaeological
developments regarding Kashmir’s past.
“Its
significance lay in the strong prospect of its redefining natural and climatic
history of Kashmir. The fossil, according to international norms and
archaeological laws should be returned to its place of discovery. The
Government of Jammu & Kashmir has recently allotted about 20 kanals of land
at Gyruil Ravine, Khomoh for establishing a Fossil Park which should be its
natural place of installation.”
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