By Muslim Mirror
New Delhi :Bringing up an embarrassing moment for Modi government acclaimed theatre artist, poet and playwright S Raghunandana has refused to accept Sangeet Natak Akademi award citing lynching and violence in the name of God, growing trend of hatredtowards activists, intellectuals and attempts to throttle their righteous struggle to uphold the spirit and values of the constitution.
In his statement, Raghunandana wrote, “Today, there is mob lynching and violence in the name of God and religion and even in the matter of what one eats. The powers-that-be are directly, or indirectly, responsible for these deadly acts of murder and violence. They are directly or indirectly supporting the hate campaign that uses all means, including those offered by internet technology to fulfil its unholy aims.”
Drawing references, further, to the fight of promising youngsters like Kanhaiya Kumar who have been facing charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy Raghunandana said, “Several intellectuals and social activists are facing trial under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Most of them have not even got bail and are spending time in prison. These are people who stood up for the cause of the most exploited and downtrodden of our country and everywhere else. They have argued on behalf of the exploited in the courts and written books and articles about their suffering and guided them to fight non-violently.”