RSS workers misbehaved with French artist: Kapil Mishra

Delhi Culture Minister Kapil Mishra today alleged that a group of RSS workers recently misbehaved and forced a French artist and an Indian commissioned by the AAP government to deface their own art work on a wall and replaced it with words 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.
However, the RSS "vehemently" refuted the charges and said that right-wing outfit do not believe in any kind of violence or any such activity.
Mishra said he had written to Delhi Police Commissioner to register a case against the culprits who caused obstruction in discharge of duty by government-hired persons, misbehaved with foreign artist and tried to disturb communal atmosphere in the capital.

The minister demanded a proper security for such artists engaged in painting walls under the government's art initiatives - 'Delhi, I Love You'.
The work is part of 'MyDilliStory' project commissioned by the Delhi Government's art, culture and languages department. 40 selected couplets in Hindi, English, Urdu and Punjabi languages will be painted on walls across the national capital.
"The incident took place on May 20 when French artist Swen Simon and Akhlaq Ahmed was painting a couplet in Urdu on a wall of the Delhi Jal Board's building in Shahdara.

"Seeing them writing in Urdu, a group of persons who identified themselves as RSS workers asked both artists to stop writing in Urdu and raised slogans 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Jai Hind'," Mishra told a press conference here.

Subsequently, French artist Siman was allegedly surrounded by a group of RSS workers who asked him that they will not let off until they use saffron colour in his painting and write Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on the walls, he said.
""As all artists feared seeing a huge crowd, they followed their instructions. During all episode, they raised slogans in favour of PM Narendra Modi.
The Delhi Culture Minister asked RSS if the accused were
affiliated to it.
At its branches, is RSS giving training of losing patience seeing Urdu language on the city's walls?, he asked.
"PM Modi has been tweeting in Urdu for last two-three days. We will again paint couplets on the wall and paste a poster of PM Modi's Urdu tweets with them. I want to ask if RSS has guts to defame PM's tweets," he said.

Vehemently denying the Delhi government's accusations, RSS's media incharge in Delhi, Rajiv Tuli said that they don't believe in any kind of violence or such activity.
"AAP leaders are trying to make RSS a punching bag. They are indulging in such kind of things only to divert the public attention from the utter failure of administration in Delhi," Tuli said.
In his letter to Police Commissioner Alok Verma, the Delhi Culture Minister said that it is extremely sad that the police didn't immediately act according to the letter of the law.
"I am told that the police were rude and took away their(Akhlaq, one of artists) phones and questioned their motives once told that they lived in Batla House. Once I gave the local police a call, they were kind to the artists and offered them drink and food as well.

"I demand that the police take immediate action against the members of the RSS who indulged in such a heinous act against our artists and violated all the laws of the land. I further hope that the police will become more sensitive to the diverse social fabric of Delhi," Mishra added.