NEW DELHI, Oct 21: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday accused the authorities of suppressing young voices after the administration of Bikaner House removed more than 70 photographs documenting recent protests in Delhi from an exhibition by her son, Raihan Vadra.
Speaking to PTI, Priyanka criticised the decision and warned that similar action could target other artists in the future.
“Today it’s him, tomorrow it’ll be another artist,” she said, describing the move as an attempt to curb freedom of expression among young people.
Raihan, an artist and photographer, said he was informed at 3.30 pm that the photographs had to be removed by 5 pm or the exhibition would be cancelled. He maintained that he had submitted the detailed proposal and layout of the exhibition to the Bikaner House management well in advance.
Questioning the decision, Priyanka said the images were simply a visual record of the protests and contained no commentary or derogatory remarks against anyone.
She argued that removing the photographs raised serious concerns about artistic freedom and democratic expression, adding that the incident reflected a broader attempt to silence young people across the country.
Titled No Idea Is Final, Raihan’s solo exhibition was previewed on Wednesday and is scheduled to open to the public on Thursday. It will continue until Sunday.
Although around 40 photographs remain on display, more than 70 images have reportedly been taken down by the venue’s administration.
The incident has brought attention to the space available for artists to document public demonstrations and present their work without restrictions.