As Queen departs, Twitterati now demands Kohinoor's return to India
The government has demanded the Kohinoor's return on various occasions, including once in 1947. However, the British government has consistently refuted the assertions.
The death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reignited the demand to bring back the Kohinoor diamond to India. The 105.6 carat spectacular 'Mountain of Light' with contentious beginnings is now one of 2,800 diamonds, along with sapphires and other precious stones, in the British monarch's crown fashioned in 1937. It belonged to the Queen until her death.
The iconic crown will now reportedly go to Queen Camilla, who will be anointed alongside King Charles III during his coronation.
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Some Twitter users seemed to be making some serious pleas regarding the return of the Kohinoor diamond, while others were amusing. A Twitter user shared a scene from the Bollywood film 'Dhoom 2' in which Hrithik Roshan's character grabs a diamond from a moving train.
"Hrithik Roshan on his journey back to recover our heera, moti; Kohinoor from the British Museum to India," the user wrote as part of the post.
Another user said the Queen was an "active participant in colonialism". "Now can we get our Kohinoor back? A reminder that Queen Elizabeth is not a remnant of colonial times. She was an active participant in colonialism."
See here: A photo of Charles III from Queen Elizabeth II's coronation
The diamond was discovered in India's Golconda mines in the 14th Century and passed through various hands over the course of centuries. The government has demanded the Kohinoor's return on various occasions, including once in 1947. However, the British government has consistently refuted the assertions.
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History suggests the Kohinoor was handed over to the British in 1849 as part of a punitive contract signed with the Maharaja of Lahore in the aftermath of the Anglo-Sikh war. The stone weighed 186 carats at the time. In 1847, Maharaja Duleep Singh was separated from his mother and sent to Britain. All of 10 years old, he was made to “give" the diamond to Britain.
Since then, it has been part of the British Crown Jewels, although it is still the subject of a historic ownership dispute between at least four countries, including India.
(With inputs from agencies)
