By IANS
New Delhi : Two Shiv Sena activists Thursday tried to disrupt an exhibition of paintings by world renowned painter M.F. Husain at an art gallery here. The police have taken both protesters into preventive custody.
“The exhibition was open to all and two supporters of Shiv Sena entered the gallery as visitors and started shouting slogans against Husain. Before they could vandalise anything, our officials took them under custody,” said Anand Mohan, deputy commissioner of police, New Delhi.
Mohan said, both Shiv Sena supporters started screaming slogans like “Balasaheb Zindabad”, “Shiv Sena Zindabad” and “M.F. Husain Murdabad”, and distributed pamphlets, which threatened to disrupt any exhibition of Husain’s paintings in the country.
The exhibition showcasing 20 rare paintings depicting Mughal India were on at the India International Centre (IIC), a major cultural and intellectual hub in the capital.
The exhibition curated by Dolly Narang and the IIC, was culled from Fida Museum, the artist’s studio-cum-home in London.
It is inspired by K. Asif’s “Mughal-e-Azam” and is a tribute to Indian cinema.
“There was no damage to the paintings and we have taken the two under preventive detention. Our personnel are at IIC and ready to tackle any situation,” he told IANS.
When asked if the exhibition will open to public Friday, the police officer said: “It depends on the decision of the organisers.”
However, the exhibition resumed the day after defying threats. According to police sources, Narang and IIC have received many threat calls, letters and mobile text messages warning severe consequences.
Husain and his paintings have often been in controversy. Earlier this year, the Bharat Mata, which depicts a nude woman, had evoked strong protests from some organisations.