Overview

• Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the ASI returned the 2023 Keeladi report for technical corrections and called for additional data and tests before officially accrediting its claims.
• Lead archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna rejected the revision request, asserting his chronology based on stratigraphic sequences, cultural deposits and AMS dating is conclusive.
• Tamil Nadu’s Archaeology Minister Thangam Thennarasu criticised the Centre for transferring officers, withholding funds and delaying the report for two years to purportedly suppress Tamil heritage.
• MDMK leader Vaiko accused the BJP and RSS of exploiting the delay to advance a Sanskritic narrative and demanded the release of ASI’s Phase 2 and 3 excavation reports.
• Excavations at Keeladi have unearthed evidence of an advanced urban settlement on the Vaigai river dating to the 6th century BCE, reshaping the timeline of the Sangam age.