Chennai: Amarnath K Ramakrishna, the archaeologist who led the first Keeladi excavations during 2014-16, has once again declined to revise his report as demanded by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). He stated that he was duty-bound to furnish a true and correct report without any external influences.
Ramakrishna's Rebuttal
Ramakrishna, currently the director of the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA), wrote his latest rebuttal on May 11. This came a month and a half after the ASI directed him to incorporate changes made by its internal committee in his Keeladi report. In the letter, accessed by TOI, Ramakrishna said he had submitted his report true to his conscience and to the best of his knowledge. He asserted that it is incorrect to allege that he defied any lawful directions issued by the competent authority.
Ramakrishna emphasized that the internal committee should have handed over a copy of his original Keeladi excavation report submitted in January 2023 along with its critical evaluation remarks. He argued that the committee did not provide plausible reasons or valid justification while requesting him to improve his report. Instead, a 114-page report titled 'Critical evaluation and recommendation' was sent to him, which he described as a product of AI-assisted technology.
Professional Integrity
Ramakrishna stated that he performed his duties with the highest degree of professionalism, as expected and followed in ASI, and with utmost dedication to the best of his abilities as director of excavation of Keeladi. He noted that throughout his excavation and while writing his report, he followed the principle of merits. He derived his conclusions fairly and impartially based on material culture and archaeological evidence discovered from the excavated site. His conclusions in the report are based purely on merit alone, and the report was prepared with utmost honesty and integrity.
Ramakrishna wrote to ASI that there was no need to reconsider his earlier report, adding that he had not refused to adhere to any instruction given in accordance with established administrative norms and service rules.
Political Context
While the previous DMK government backed Ramakrishna's Keeladi findings and openly sparred with ASI over the delay in releasing the report, sources indicated that there have so far been no signals from Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's government regarding how it would react to the latest standoff. Ramakrishna had dated an early urban Tamil civilization at Keeladi, near present-day Madurai, to 800-500 BCE.
