What a joy.. The request to return the stolen British crown after the coronation of King Charles!

India is set to launch a major diplomatic campaign to recover thousands of artefacts, including one of the world’s largest diamonds, seized from Britain during colonial times.

According to the British newspaper “The Telegraph”, and quoted by “Russia Today”, support for the recovery of treasures lost during the days of the British Empire is said to have come from the highest levels of Indian authorities.

The campaign is also said to be on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s priority list, with one source describing the initiative as reckoning with the past.

Indian ministerial staff and diplomatic officials are leading efforts to return the artefacts taken during British colonial rule, with the Telegraph sources saying some officials believe they were illegally stolen during the colonial period.

The report said the campaign to recover the antiquities could strain relations between Britain and India, which was described as a British crown during the colonial period due to its vast resources and strategic location.

Indian embassies in London are expected to submit formal applications to individuals and companies currently holding these items, and the process is set to begin this year.

The campaign is said to demand the return of the 105-carat Kohinoor diamond. This priceless jewel, which once belonged to Indian rulers but was acquired by the British when they annexed the Punjab province in 1849, now resides in the crown of the late mother Queen Elizabeth II.

However, neither the tiara nor the diamond was used after India’s ruling party warned London that it would bring back painful memories from its colonial past.

Since independence in 1947, India has repeatedly requested England to return Kohinoor, but without success. London insisted that the diamonds were acquired under a valid contract.

Meanwhile, British law prohibits British museums, which store thousands of items removed from India, from disposing of their possessions except in special cases, however, in 2022 Glasgow Live Museums agreed to return seven stolen artefacts to India. The British Museum should take this step.