Guwahati/Shillong, March 28: Two cannons, which were used in the Battle of Waterloo, find themselves once again in the middle of another battle, this time over their possession.
While the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) wants the cannons back at Aizawl, the Mizoram capital, the Assam Rifles, the custodians of the artillery pieces, wants to keep these with them.
The cannons were brought to Aizawl and kept at the headquarters of the 1st battalion of the Assam Rifles in 1892, but were taken away to Tuensang in Nagaland in 2003 when the battalion moved base there.
Dinesh Baishya, convenor of the Assam chapter of INTACH, said the cannons are international heritage since these were used in the battle of Waterloo and thus the Assam Rifles does not have exclusive right over them.
He said the INTACH being an international body for conservation and preservation of natural, cultural, living, tangible and intangible heritage of various races in India has more right over cannons than the Assam Rifles.
“Historically, the cannons were brought to Mizoram, so these must be kept in Mizoram to remind the present and future generations of Mizos about the history of their land. People of Mizoram cannot go to Tuensang to know their history. The Assam Rifles museum in Shillong will not be accessible to all people to see the cannons,” Baishya argued.
The cannons were brought to Aizawl and displayed at the Assam Rifles battalion headquarters by Lt Col J. Shakespeare in 1892.
Shakespeare, in his 1939 book The Making of Aijal said the armaments were among those used by the Duke of Wellington’s troops to defeat Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo.
The big guns were dumped into the sea from a Burma-bound warship that was docked in the Chittagong port (now in Bangladesh) in 1857.
He wrote, when the detachment of the 34th Native Infantry mutinied on November 18 that year as part of the Sepoy Mutiny, the cannons were thrown overboard to prevent them from falling in the hands of the natives and were fished out after crushing the mutiny and brought to Aizawl.
Assam Rifles PRO Lt Col A.K. Choudhury from Shillong said the cannons will remain with the Assam Rifles, but no decision was taken to shift them from Tuensang.
A majority of the people of Mizoram wishes that it should be properly preserved by the Assam Rifles and the problem is only with INTACH, he said.
There was a suggestion to shift the cannons to the War Museum to be built in Laitkor on the outskirts of Shillong, but no decision has been taken in this regard, he said.
“It will take at least a year to build the War Museum and only after its completion that we will be able to make a decision to shift them from Tuensang to Shillong,” he said.
According to the Assam Rifles official, a majority of the people of Mizoram considers that Assam Rifles can preserve the cannons better as “we are preserving other war memorials too”.
He reminded that 40 per cent of Assam Rifles staff is from the Northeast and there is no reason for any worry as far as preserving the war memorial is concerned.
Staff Officer, Assam Rifles Major Rajat posted in 23 sector which looks after both Aizawl and Tuensang areas said over phone from Aizawl that cannons were in the custody of Assam Rifles for a very long time and the MHA was also agreeing to keep them in the Assam Rifles custody He also reiterated that the Assam Rifles are yet to take any decision regarding shifting of the cannons from Tuensang either ro Aizawl or to Shillong.
Locals at Aizwal believed that if fingers were pointed at the two cannons they would fire on those pointing at them, said Joseph Lalrintluanga, a resident of Aizwal.
While the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) wants the cannons back at Aizawl, the Mizoram capital, the Assam Rifles, the custodians of the artillery pieces, wants to keep these with them.
The cannons were brought to Aizawl and kept at the headquarters of the 1st battalion of the Assam Rifles in 1892, but were taken away to Tuensang in Nagaland in 2003 when the battalion moved base there.
Dinesh Baishya, convenor of the Assam chapter of INTACH, said the cannons are international heritage since these were used in the battle of Waterloo and thus the Assam Rifles does not have exclusive right over them.
He said the INTACH being an international body for conservation and preservation of natural, cultural, living, tangible and intangible heritage of various races in India has more right over cannons than the Assam Rifles.
“Historically, the cannons were brought to Mizoram, so these must be kept in Mizoram to remind the present and future generations of Mizos about the history of their land. People of Mizoram cannot go to Tuensang to know their history. The Assam Rifles museum in Shillong will not be accessible to all people to see the cannons,” Baishya argued.
The cannons were brought to Aizawl and displayed at the Assam Rifles battalion headquarters by Lt Col J. Shakespeare in 1892.
Shakespeare, in his 1939 book The Making of Aijal said the armaments were among those used by the Duke of Wellington’s troops to defeat Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo.
The big guns were dumped into the sea from a Burma-bound warship that was docked in the Chittagong port (now in Bangladesh) in 1857.
He wrote, when the detachment of the 34th Native Infantry mutinied on November 18 that year as part of the Sepoy Mutiny, the cannons were thrown overboard to prevent them from falling in the hands of the natives and were fished out after crushing the mutiny and brought to Aizawl.
Assam Rifles PRO Lt Col A.K. Choudhury from Shillong said the cannons will remain with the Assam Rifles, but no decision was taken to shift them from Tuensang.
A majority of the people of Mizoram wishes that it should be properly preserved by the Assam Rifles and the problem is only with INTACH, he said.
There was a suggestion to shift the cannons to the War Museum to be built in Laitkor on the outskirts of Shillong, but no decision has been taken in this regard, he said.
“It will take at least a year to build the War Museum and only after its completion that we will be able to make a decision to shift them from Tuensang to Shillong,” he said.
According to the Assam Rifles official, a majority of the people of Mizoram considers that Assam Rifles can preserve the cannons better as “we are preserving other war memorials too”.
He reminded that 40 per cent of Assam Rifles staff is from the Northeast and there is no reason for any worry as far as preserving the war memorial is concerned.
Staff Officer, Assam Rifles Major Rajat posted in 23 sector which looks after both Aizawl and Tuensang areas said over phone from Aizawl that cannons were in the custody of Assam Rifles for a very long time and the MHA was also agreeing to keep them in the Assam Rifles custody He also reiterated that the Assam Rifles are yet to take any decision regarding shifting of the cannons from Tuensang either ro Aizawl or to Shillong.
Locals at Aizwal believed that if fingers were pointed at the two cannons they would fire on those pointing at them, said Joseph Lalrintluanga, a resident of Aizwal.
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