New Delhi/Bhopal: Close on the heels of a string of writers handing over their literary awards, theatre artist Maya Krishna Rao and noted Hindi poet Rajesh Joshi today returned their Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sahitya Akademi award respectively to protest against the Dadri lynching and the "overall rising intolerance" in the country.

The Delhi-based actor expressed her disappointment over the government's failure to "speak up for the rights of citizens."