A number of items that once belonged to Mahatma Gandhi sold for $1.8 million at auction yesterday despite an outcry from the Indian government and a last-minute change of heart from the items' owner. The Times describes a somewhat chaotic scene that unfolded minutes before the lot was to be auctioned off, when a lawyer for James Otis, who amassed the items piece-by-piece in the '90s, tried to halt the proceedings. Julien Schaerer, an official of the auction house, said that Otis had entered a "legally binding agreement" to sell the items, and ordered the lawyer escorted from the building. The lot, which included his sandals, pocket watch, and spectacles, was ultimately purchased by Vijay Mallya, who owns the company that makes Kingfisher beer. Otis had earlier rebuffed an offer from the Indian government to buy the lot, calling it too low, but said he would be willing to hand it over if the government agreed to increase spending on the poor. It's unclear what prompted Otis's second thoughts, but he said he would not challenge the auction if Mallya returned the items to India.