'Angry' Nayantara Sehgal, Nehru's niece, returns Sahitya Akademi award

New Delhi Eminent author and niece of Jawaharlal Nehru Nayantara Sehgal on Tuesday returned the SahityaAkademi award in protest against increasing intolerancetowards right to dissent in the country and Prime MinisterNarendra Modis silence on the reign of terrorSehgal who received a Sahitya Akademi award in 1986 forher English novel Rich Like Us 1985 said The rulingideology today is a fascist ideology and that is what isworrying me now We did not have a fascist government untilnow I am doing whatever I believe inJawaharlal Nehrus niece writer Nayantara Sahgal has returned the Sahitya Akademi award she won in 1986 for her English novel Rich Like UsCiting various incidents of killings of writers andrationalists including M M Kalburgi and Govind Pansare shealleged Rationalists who question superstition anyone whoquestions any aspect of the ugly and dangerous distortion ofHinduism known as Hindutva whether in the intellectual orartistic sphere or whether in terms of food habits andlifestyle are being marginalised persecuted or murderedMost recently a village blacksmith Mohammed Akhlaq wasdragged out of his home in Bishada village outside Delhi andbrutally lynched on the supposed suspicion that beef wascooked in his home the 88yearold author said in astatementIn all these cases justice drags its feet The PrimeMinister remains silent about this reign of terror We mustassume he dare not alienate evildoers who support hisideology It is a matter of sorrow that the Sahitya Akademiremains silentIn memory of the Indians who have been murdered insupport of all Indians who uphold the right to dissent and ofall dissenters who now live in fear and uncertainty I amreturning my Sahitya Akademi Award said Sehgal who in thepast also strongly criticised imposition of the Emergency in1975 by her cousin late Prime Minister Indira GandhiShe told PTI that Modi is a politician who knows how tospeak He has given long speeches On twitter and other socialmedia he is vocal He should be responsible for what ishappening in the countryReferring to recent speech by VicePresident Hamid Ansarireminding people about Constitution promises of liberty ofthought expression belief faith and worship she said He found it necessary to do so because Indias culture ofdiversity and debate is now under vicious assaultThe author further added that under Modis governmentIndia is going backwards It is rejecting our great idea ofcultural diversity and debate and it is narrowing down to aninvention called HindutvaThe writer in her open letter The Unmaking of Indiasaid it was a matter of sorrow that the Sahitya Akademi wassilent on these issuesIn protest against Kalburgis murder a Hindi writerUday Prakash has returned his Sahitya Akademi Award SixKannada writers have returned their awards to the KannadaSahitya Parishat she saidStating that the right to dissent was an integral part ofthe constitutional guarantee she said Many people have beenmarginalised and a lot of Indians are living in fear of whatmight happen to them the situation in the country isgetting more serious and the Prime Minister should make astatementAsked whether she wanted other authors to follow suitSahgal said I dont know what the others are going to do Iam doing whatever I believe in