PU blinks, FIR in heritage chair theft

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 14

Having admitted that one of the chairs with the Customs Department could be its, Panjab University (PU) has got an FIR registered with the UT police. A case of theft has been registered in this connection.

The PU had conveyed to the Chandigarh Administration that one of the chairs belonging to the export consignment kept at the Delhi Customs Zone’s st orehouse at Tughlaqabad prime facie seemed to be like those at the university. Most of the 14 chairs kept there are marked ‘PUL’, indicating Panjab University library.

The Administration had written to the Customs authorities in Delhi to hold the consignment of 14 heritage chairs believed to be part of Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier’s creations for the city. However, the Customs Department had reportedly conveyed to the UT that they would not be able to hold the suspect consignment for long in the absence of a formal police complaint or an FIR by either the Chandigarh Administration or the PU.

The PU Chief Security Officer, Ashwani Koul, who is the complainant in the case, said, “We approached the police after confirming that a chair is indeed missing from the AC Joshi Library. We will take strict action against whoever is responsible for the same, even if he is an insider.”