Five shehnais of late Ustad Bismillah Khan missing

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Dec. 5: Five shehnais and other mementoes of Late Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan went missing from his residence on Sunday night.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nitin Tiwari told ANI, "Around 12:30 a.m. the police was informed about the robbery of shehnais and some facts were also told. An FIR has been lodged as per facts given by the family. The investigation is still on and we can't say anything in this matter. All the points are being looked after, including whether it is an inside job. He further said that field units and other teams will visit the spot and conduct an inspection for further evidence.

"The field units and other teams will visit the spot and do the inspection and will enclose the evidence.

Let's see what the investigation reveals," Tiwari added. These five shehnais were gifted to him by former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, Congress leader Kapil Sibal, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, and a former pupil Shailesh Bhagwat.

He used to play the fifth shehnai on Moharram. However, it is not the first time that Khan, who passed away in 2006, shehnais are in the news. Earlier, Nazim Hussain, Khan's youngest son, alleged that a shehnai used by Khan went missing in 2009 "due to alleged involvement of family insiders" and demanded a CBI probe.

Source: ANI