Following agitations and protests from the Sikh Community, the Sotheby's auction house has decided to withdraw the auction of a rare Sikh armor. The armor was scheduled to be auctioned on April 9. The armor dates back to the 18th century and is estimated to worth around 10 - 12,000 pounds. Some Sikh experts claim that the armor belongs to Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru. People from different parts of India came out on streets protesting against the auction.

 

Sotheby's has, however, declared that the armor is not of Guru Gobind Singh. Sotheby's said that it has withdrawn the armour from April 9 auction at the request of a seller, who wanted it to be acquired by the member of a Sikh community. The religious bodies of the Sikh community have written a petition to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, launched protests and have asked the Indian High Commission in London and Sotheby's to return to armor to the Sikh community. The Sikh community has alleged that the auction of the armour has hurt their religious feelings and emotions.