Expressing their concern, 26 senior citizens have drawn the chief adviser's attention to the issue of sending 187 ancient artefacts to the Guimet Museum in Paris for exhibition and urged him to take necessary steps regarding the reported mismanagement in the process.

In an open statement, the senior archaeologists, educationists, artists, journalists, botanists, philosophers, architects, poets, litterateurs and environmentalists said some important issues were ignored in the process of sending the artefacts.

They said suggestions of the local archaeologists and museum experts were totally ignored in selecting the artefacts from three museums.

They referred to the letter of famous expert on India Dr Joachim K Bautze to the French ambassador in Dhaka, in which Bautze termed the process of fixing the insurance money for these archaeological masterpieces a "financial fraud". Bautze said the total insurance money for the 187 pieces--Tk 10 crore--is far less than the price of a part of a painting of Vincent van Gogh.

The senior citizens also expressed their concern about carrying the artefacts by a single aircraft, which might lead to losing of all the invaluable artefacts if the aircraft faces any accident.

They raised objection against the deal signed between Bangladesh and France where absolute restoration rights were given to the Guimet Museum authorities.

They said they do not want the next generation to blame them and the current government for failing to preserve the elements of the country's history and legacy properly.

The statement was signed by educationists Prof Khan Sarwar Murshid, Prof Kabir Chowdhury, Prof Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, Prof Borhanuddin Khan Jahangir, Prof Zillur Rahman Siddiqui, Prof Mustafa Nurul Islam, Prof Syed Akram Hossain, Prof Salahuddin Ahmed, Prof Naoshaba Khatun and Prof Ajay Roy, singers Kalim Sharafi and Sanzida Khatun, journalist Kamal Lohani, botanist Dwijen Sharma, poet Belal Chowdhury, architect Rabiul Hussain, artists Rafiqun Nabi, Bulbon Osman, Emdad Hossain and Aminul Islam.