British PM rules out return of the Kohinoor

NEW DELHI: British Prime Minister David Cameron, who is on a three-day visit to India, has clearly ruled out the return of the Kohinoor diamond to India, saying if such demands were agreed to, it would lead to empty rooms in British Museums.

"I know there is also a great argument about the original provenance of the Kohinoor diamond. I'm afraid this will disappoint viewers, but it's going to have to stay put," Cameron said in an interview to a news channel.

The issue about the fabled diamond , which was mined in the Deccan and is now part of the British crown jewels, had been raised by British MP of Indian origin Keith Vaz just before Cameron began his two-day visit to India.

Cameron, however, pointed out that the return of the diamond would set a precedent, which could lead to the emptying of museums in Britain.

"What tends to happen with these questions is that if you say yes to one, you suddenly find the British Museum will be emptied," he asserted.

Besides the Koh-i-Noor, other Indian treasures acquired by the UK include:

THE AMRAVATI RAILINGS
These limestone plaques once covered the façade of a "stupa" – a temple built to house Buddhist relics – in south-eastern India.

BUDDHA SAKYAMUNI
The Sultanganj Buddha, known as the Birmingham Buddha, is a 2.3m tall bronze statue of the caped deity that was discovered upside-down in a bricked-up cavity by British railway engineer E B Harris in northeast India in 1861. AGENCIES