A bed belonging to PGI Chandigarh is set to go under the hammer in Chicago on August 13, with a heritage activist seeking an immediate probe into how the hospital furniture reached the United States.
The item, described as a teak day bed, has been listed as Lot No. 165 by the Chicago auction house, with an estimated price of $8,000-$10,000 — approximately Rs 7.62 lakh to Rs 9.52 lakh. The auction listing mentions dimensions of 71 × 183 × 91 cm and carries the marking “PGI 55 (NH)”, with “NH” apparently referring to Nehru Hospital.
Advocate Ajay Jagga, member of the Heritage Protection Cell, has written to PGIMER Director Dr Vivek Lal and Union Health Minister JP Nadda, urging them to intervene before the auction and ascertain whether the bed was part of PGIMER’s heritage furniture.
The representation raises a key question: if the bed belonged to PGIMER, how did it reach a Chicago auction house?
Jagga has sought an inquiry into whether PGIMER ever sold or disposed of the furniture and, if it did not, who removed it from the institute’s possession and facilitated its movement overseas.
The issue assumes significance as the bed reportedly carries a PGI identification marking. Jagga has urged PGIMER to verify its inventory records and establish the ownership and chain of custody of the item before the scheduled auction.
The latest development comes barely two months after another alleged PGIMER item — a stool — was auctioned in the US in June. Jagga has referred to the earlier auction in his representation and questioned whether PGIMER had taken any action to trace or recover that item.
He has now urged the institute to act before the August 13 auction and, if necessary, approach authorities in the US through the Indian Embassy to establish how the furniture reached the auction house.
The activist has sought a detailed probe into whether the furniture was officially disposed of by PGIMER, whether any permission was obtained for its removal from India and whether the auction house was in lawful possession of the item.
He has also asked authorities to examine whether Indian export regulations and US import requirements were followed in transporting the alleged heritage item to Chicago.
The representation invokes Article 49 of the Constitution, which deals with protection of monuments, places and objects of national importance from spoliation, removal, disposal or export, besides referring to the fundamental duty under Article 51A(f) to value and preserve India’s rich heritage.
With the auction scheduled for August 13, PGIMER and the Union Health Ministry have been urged to immediately object if the bed is confirmed to be institute property and explore all legal and administrative measures to prevent its sale.
He has also sought an inquiry into who sold or transferred the PGI furniture, how it was taken out of India and how it came into the possession of the Chicago auction house.
