Army’s station headquarters in Belagavi has clarified that it did not attempt to shift artefacts from Fort for carbon dating test without the permission of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
D K Haridas, Colonel, Administrative Commandant, Station Headquarters, said that carbon dating of the artefacts recovered from the defence land in Fort area, Belagavi, is required to trace its history and improve documentation. The carbon dating is proposed to be carried out with the help of the ASI as military authorities do not have the required expertise.
The officer said that the Territorial Battalion, which is responsible for safeguarding the assets of the ministry of defence in the Fort area, had applied for the permission to send samples to the ASI for carbon testing. The Army has made it clear that neither the permission was granted, nor any transportation of samples took place, contrary to what the media had reported.
Source TOI