RSS workers intimidated French and Indian artists: Kapil Mishra

Delhi Tourism and Culture Minister Kapil Mishra on Wednesday said that Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) members had intimidated a French and an Indian artists commissioned by the Delhi Government for 'Delhi I Love You' wall painting campaign.

Mishra said he had written a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Verma and demanded a case against the RSS members who misbehaved with the artists in the national capital.

"On May 20 artist Akhlaq Ahmad was commissioned to paint the walls in east Delhi apart from French artist Swen Simon for the project at Delhi Jal Board office in Shahdara. Suddenly, a mob of over hundred people gathered around the two artists and intimidated them for writing in Urdu," Mishra said in the letter.

"These people led by several RSS members forced the artists to paint 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan' over the text they had been working on. The crowd was shouting slogans like 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Narendra Modi', and were calling the artists Lahoris," he wrote.

In an attempt to bring the city and its stories together, the Delhi government commissioned an initiative called 'MyDilliStory' project. In this campaign, 40 selected couplets in Hindi, English, Urdu and Punjabi languages will be painted on walls across the national capital.

"The Delhi government had given all necessary permission to paint on walls across Delhi. I personally gave the permission with respect to DJB properties in my capacity as its chairman and the water minister," Mishra said.

"This is condemnable and inexcusable that the rule of law has broken down in Delhi. I demand that the police take immediate action against the RSS members who indulged in such a heinous act against our artists and violated all the laws of the land," the Aam Aadmi Party leader demanded.

--IANS

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