Gadag (Karnataka) (PTI): Gold found while digging earth to lay the foundation for the expansion of a house in Lakkundi, a village known for its architectural heritage here, is "not treasure", a senior ASI official said on Sunday.
Superintending Archaeologist, ASI -- Dharwad circle, Ramesh Mulimani visited the spot, a day after a copper pot containing the gold was found.
"This is not a treasure... many ornaments found are broken. They were found in the kitchen area of the house. In the past, our ancestors used to hide ornaments by burying them beside the kitchen stove area, as they had no treasury. This was a practice in the past and what has been found now also seems to be the same thing," Mulimani said.
"It needs to be ascertained the age of the ornaments. Many are broken. If coins were found, we could have assessed to which period they belonged," he said, adding that the gold has now been kept into safe custody at the treasury.
The government has taken possession of the 470 grams of gold comprising various forms of ornaments, including necklace, bangle and earrings.
According to police, an eighth standard student spotted the ornaments in a copper pot.
"The boy honestly told the senior members of the village. Soon after getting information, the officers and evaluators from various departments reached the spot. There were 22 items kept in the pot, which have been taken into possession," Gadag SP Rohan Jagadeesh had told reporters on Saturday.
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Kolkata (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cut short her speech at a rally in her Bhabanipur constituency, alleging that the BJP was deliberately playing loud music from a nearby public meeting.
A peeved Banerjee said despite having the required permission of the Election Commission, her rally in Chakraberia was disrupted by the BJP, "who want to capture Bengal by intimidation and threat".
"It is not possible for me to go ahead with this meeting. If they can do such a thing in my constituency, imagine how undemocratic the BJP is. If they behave like this, I have to take legal action," she said.
"This is an insult, humiliation. BJP is stepping on our toes to instigate trouble. Not possible to address the gathering in this situation. I am leaving the stage. Please vote for me in your protest," she added.
Banerjee was then seen calling someone over and venting her grievances.
Before leaving the stage, she said, "I will hold a rally tomorrow at the same spot."
TMC supporters then rushed towards the BJP rally, which was later addressed by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, but security personnel intervened and prevented the situation from escalating.
TMC workers later staged a demonstration outside the local police station and filed a complaint, alleging that the BJP violated the model code of conduct.
A senior TMC leader said another complaint will also be lodged with the Election Commission.
Asked about Banerjee's allegations, Adhikari told reporters after the rally he held nearby, "Her reaction shows she is nervous about the imminent loss."
"There was no violence, no obstruction in her meeting and her behaviour shows her nervousness. On May 4, people of Bhabanipur will celebrate the victory of the BJP," he claimed, alleging that the TMC also tried to disrupt his meeting by playing loud music.
South Kolkata's Bhabanipur, one of the battleground seats in the West Bengal elections, will vote in the second phase on April 29.
