Raise ‘climate of fear’ with Modi, authors urge Cameron

Over 200 prominent authors, including Salman Rushdie, have asked British Prime Minister David Cameron to raise the issue of “rising climate of fear” and “growing intolerance” in India with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, in the second letter from the PEN International in less than a month.

Booker Prize winner Rushdie, recent Booker prize shortlisted British-Indian author Neel Mukherjee and other well-known names such as Ian McEwan and Hari Kunzru are among the signatories of the open letter to Cameron that seeks to ensure “freedom of speech is safeguarded” in India.

The letter issued on Wednesday is the second from the PEN International in less than a month over the issue of “rising intolerance” in India. On October 17, writers from 150 countries had expressed solidarity with dissenting Indian authors and artistes who returned their prestigious awards.

The latest letter also signed by members of its centres in England, Wales and Scotland says: “We, the undersigned, are extremely concerned about the rising climate of fear, growing intolerance and violence towards critical voices who challenge orthodoxy or fundamentalism in India... we urge you to engage with Prime Minister Modi both publicly and privately on this crucial issue. Please speak out on the current state of freedom of expression in his country, urging him to stay true to the spirit of the democratic freedoms enshrined in India’s Constitution.” 

It points to the recent murders of intellectuals MM Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar, and to the protests that have seen at least 40 Indian writers return literary awards to the Sahitya Akademi, the National Academy of Letters, in condemnation of its silence over the attacks.

It also refers to last month’s cancellation of a concert by Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali due to protests by Shiv Sainiks in Mumbai and the infamous ink attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni, chairman of Observer Research Foundation (ORF), pointing out how despite its constitutional commitments, legal system in India makes it “surprisingly easy to silence others”. 

The letter adds: “The protests have grown beyond the community of Indian writers of all languages. Scientists, artists, film-makers, academics, scholars, and actors have either complained (about) the climate of intolerance or returned awards on a scale unprecedented in India.” “In line with the UK’s stated commitment to promoting human rights, we ask that you raise the above issues with Prime Minister Modi and urge him to provide better protection for writers, artists and other critical voices and ensure that freedom of speech is safeguarded.