By TCN News
Lucknow: Khan Mohammed Atif, former head of department of Persian, Lucknow University and a former MLA, has decided to return his Certificate of Honour, also known as the President’s Award, to protest against the growing communalism in the country.
“Saddened by the growing instances of communalism under the Central Government, I hereby announce that I am returning my Certificate of Honour, along with Rs 50,000 that I received every year,” he said in a release.
Atif was a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh until 1980 and was the party’s MLA from Bahraich between 1977 and 1979.
A few days ago, famous Urdu poet Munawwar Rana returned his Sahitya Akademi award on television, joining a wave of eminent writers who have returned their awards to protest against the killings of rationalists and innocent people by Hindutva forces.