Moral police vs artists

Mumbai: The Baroda Art controversy has now given way to a legal battle between the right-wing group and the artists fraternity. A city court will hear art student Chandramohan's bail application on Monday.

A fine arts student at the city's Maharaja Sayajirao University, Chandramohan was arrested last Wednesday for putting up allegedly obscene works at a private exhibition in the university.

He remains in police custody till Monday for painting allegedly obscene works. Artists across the country say they are shocked to see the state blatantly taking side of the right-wing groups.

“The state has turned out to be the biggest bully I have ever heard of. The whole thing was obviously pre-planned,” says artist Anjali Ila Menon.

The MS University authorities are clearly under pressure from the saffron brigade. They did not even allow CNN-IBN to hold a healthy debate on campus on art being held hostage. BJP and VHP activists are also hounding the Faculty Dean suspended by the University for defending the arrested students. However the protests against moral policing are also gaining momentum.

“We have to call an end to this right wing, or 'riot' wing politics,” says Jitesh Kallat, art critic.

Students of MS University are joining forces to express solidarity with Chandramohan. Most feel the activists had no right to barge into an exhibition that was meant to be an internal assessment.

“It wasn't an exhibition, but an examination. They weren't supposed to be inside there,” says one student at the MS University. “There can be divergent views, but how can they be addressed. Where is the space for such discussion to take place,” said another.

The Fine Arts Faculty and students are expected to hold a public meeting and a demonstration on Monday.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)

#freedom of art #attack #moral police #debate