Writers under the banner of Bahujan Rachaythula Vedika on Monday expressed solidarity with Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who has been targeted by Hindutva and caste outfits for penning a thought-provoking novel Madhorubagan (One Part Woman).
The writers at a meeting held at the Ambedkar Bhavan condemned alleged blackmail and harassment of the author by fundamentalist forces and urged the Tamil Nadu government to provide protection for the writer and his family.
Muslim Intellectuals Forum convenor Shamsheer Ahamad described “the act of Hindutva forces as a big blow to freedom of expression in the world’s largest democracy.”
It was unfortunate that the novelist was forced to give up writing altogether, said Prakasam District Editors and Journalists Association president Palanti Nageswaa Rao.
Such cultural censorship should be condemned by the entire civil society in one voice, asserted another writer Dr. N. Ravikumar. Dr M. Devaprasad, M. Anji Babu and M. Rajeswara Rao were among the writers who spoke.
