New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) The Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) Monday condemned what it called “moral policing” by the right-wing brigade of Hyderabad, which exerted pressure on an art gallery to cancel gay artist Balbir Krishan’s exhibition.
The exhibition, on the theme of nudity and homosexuality, was displayed at the Muse Gallery in Hyderabad and enjoyed a smooth preview Saturday.
However, exhibition curator Kaali Sudheer received a call late night from someone claiming to be a right-wing activist who demanded that the exhibition end.
The gallery complied with the demand as the people making the threats had “strong political connections”.
The Delhi-based SAHMAT used social-networking tool Facebook to explore the Uttar Pradesh-based artist’s work, to find there was nothing obscene in the art works.
An official statement from SAHMAT Sunday said: “The work was up on their (gallery’s) website and social media, and it is clear there was nothing pornographic or obscene in the works which were male nudes. The gallery was fully aware of the work and had invited the artist to exhibit and the opening was well attended.”
“It is because the artist is gay that the moral police of the right has swung into action. Their threats and intimidation are in fact against the law, and the gallery should have complained to the police,” the statement said.
SAHMAT also pointed out that this incident should be taken as another wake-up call, and such attempts of smothering freedom of expression should be condemned.
“This incident is another wake-up call to the increasing brazenness of the right-wing political forces and is a pointer to their plans in the run-up to the national elections next year,” it said.
“The public needs to be alert to these plans and should resist any attempts of illegal enforcement of narrow political views which are against the constitutional rights of citizens,” the statement said.