Two heritage chairs designed by renowned architect Pierre Jeanneret and believed to be linked to Chandigarh’s institutional history have been listed for auction in Luxembourg, prompting a demand for urgent intervention by the Punjab government.
 

Ajay Pal Jagga, a member of the UT Administrator’s Advisory Council, has urged the state government to take immediate steps to stop the proposed sale through Lux-Auction. In a representation addressed to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Secretaries of the Union Ministries of External Affairs and Culture, Jagga sought the registration of an FIR, a police investigation and diplomatic efforts to bring the chairs back to India.
 

The two teakwood “Office Cane Chairs”, believed to date back to around 1955, have been listed as Lot No. 88 under reference number LXA-ZB-7209. Their estimated auction value is between 8,000 and 10,000 euros.
 

Jagga has drawn attention to the Punjabi inscription “ਕਿ: ਭ: 6” painted on the chairs. He believes the marking could establish their connection with Kisan Bhawan.
 

Describing the proposed auction as a matter of concern for Punjab’s heritage, Jagga has asked the state government to contact the auction house immediately and seek a suspension of the sale until the chairs’ provenance and ownership are verified.
 

He has also called for disclosure of the consignor’s identity, the complete chain of ownership and documents relating to the private collection from which the chairs are reportedly being offered. The furniture is said to have originated from a private collection in 2007.
 

Jagga argued that if the chairs are established to be government property removed without legal authority, their unauthorised removal could provide grounds for criminal proceedings. He has called for the Director General of Police, Punjab, to be entrusted with investigating how the furniture reached the international auction market.
 

He has further urged the state government to approach the Ministry of External Affairs for diplomatic intervention with Luxembourg authorities and seek assistance from the Union Ministry of Culture under the applicable cultural-property framework.
 

Apart from securing the return of the two chairs, Jagga has proposed a wider exercise to identify other furniture designed by Pierre Jeanneret that may have originated from Chandigarh’s administrative buildings and subsequently entered private collections abroad.
 

He stressed that the historical significance of the furniture goes far beyond its commercial value. The government, he said, should ensure that any item established to be part of Punjab’s institutional heritage is brought back to India.