Mishra demands action against RSS workers

Delhi Culture minister Kapil Mishra has demanded action against a group of RSS workers who had allegedly misbehaved with two AAP workers on May 20. Mishra 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 replace it with words ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’.

However, the RSS “vehemently” refuted the charges stating that the right-wing outfit does not believe in any kind of violence. 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 harmony in the Capital.

The minister has demanded a proper security for such artists engaged in painting walls under the government’s art initiatives - Delhi, I Love You .

“The incident took place on May 20 when French artist Swen Simon and Akhlaq Ahmed were 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 said. Subsequently, French artist Siman was allegedly surrounded by a group of RSS workers who told him that they will not let him off until they use saffron colour in his painting and write Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on the walls.

“During the incident, police was called there and then they took the artists to police station. As I got to know about it, I immediately called up police personnel and told them that they are government-appointed persons. Thereafter, they were let off by the police personnel who respectfully took care of them,” Mishra added.