Today it’s him, tomorrow another artist: Priyanka on son’s photos removed from show

• More than 70 photographs documenting Delhi protests are reportedly removed from Raihan Vadra’s exhibition.

• Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accuses the authorities of muzzling young voices.

• Raihan says the venue threatened to cancel the show unless the images were taken down.

Congress Wayanad MP and general-secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday, 21 October accused the authorities of muzzling young voices after photographs taken by her son, artist and photographer Raihan Vadra, documenting recent protests in Delhi by the INDIA bloc and other groups were removed from his solo exhibition at Bikaner House.

The exhibition, titled 'No Idea Is Final', was previewed on Wednesday and is scheduled to open on Thursday. It will run until Sunday, 25 October. While around 40 photographs remain on display, more than 70 have reportedly been taken down.

"They are muzzling the voice of the youth across the nation," Priyanka told PTI, criticising the decision to remove the photographs. "His photographs of the protests, not a single commentary, not a single thing that was either derogatory towards anyone, just a visual documentation of the protest. So, I mean, clearly this is the way they think. It's not a democracy anymore. Today it's him, tomorrow it'll be another artist."

Raihan said he was informed at 3.30 pm that the photographs had to be removed by 5.00 pm or the exhibition would be cancelled. He said he had shared the detailed proposal and layout of the exhibition with the Bikaner House management well in advance.

The venue subsequently took down some of the photographs.

"I think it's ridiculous. What do you think, he is a young boy? But I suppose, you know, they are muzzling the voice of the youth across the nation. So it's only expected that they'll do it to anyone," Priyanka said.

The controversy raises questions about the circumstances in which the photographs were removed and whether the decision was based on their depiction of the protests. Bikaner House's public listing for the exhibition describes a show featuring photography, multimedia works and installations, but does not explain the reported removal of the images.

The venue's response to the allegations was not available at the time of writing.

Raihan's work has previously included photographs documenting protests in Delhi, including images of police detaining demonstrators. The latest episode has prompted Priyanka to warn that the removal of the photographs could set a troubling precedent for other young artists.

With PTI inputs