Drama in museum over missing object

The employees allege that they were served no show-cause notice nor was any enquiry conducted before the orders were issued. Other Class III and Class IV museum employees rallied to the aid of their colleagues and gathered at the museum gate where they shouted slogans against the director from 11 a.m.

to around 2.30 p.m. when the director finally relented and withdrew the orders. During these three hours the museum and art gallery remained closed.

Stressing that the orders were later withdrawn and revoked, when contacted, V. N. Singh averred: quot;It was all due to misunderstanding. There was no issue at all.quot; However, the employees have a different tale to tell. According to them, the trouble started on Wednesday after some object was found missing from the Child Gallery.

They say that Gian Chand, who normally looks after the gallery, had earlier been instructed verbally by the assistant curator to fill in for another attendant, Nachhatar Singh, who was on half-day leave. He could not look after two galleries at the same time and in his absence from the Child Art Gallery, the object a small frame is said to have disappeared.