Signature Campaign against Moral Policing in Baroda

Mumbai artists community has come out strongly against the moral policing by Hindu fundamentalists at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda. They request all the artists, intellectuals and responsible citizens of the country to join the following signature campaign.

To,

The Governor,
State of Gujarat,
India.

We, the artists and art-lovers of Mumbai, are shocked by the series of incidents that occurred during the annual examination display at the Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA), M. S. University, Baroda on May 9 th and 10th, 2007.

In no way do the FFA authorities solicit an audience for the annual examination display. It is a public display in an academic institutional context and there is no compulsion for anyone to attend. In this case, the politically motivated charges against Chandramohan, the student who has been arrested for his supposedly 'objectionable' work are baseless, as he had not mounted a gallery display. Yet, the State Police registered a case against Chandramohan on charges tantamount to 'disrupting public order'. The police arrested Chandramohan without a proper warrant and without any consultation with the concerned authorities of the FFA.

We sincerely believe that art should be seen in specific contexts, aesthetic and conceptual. The State, in its duty to maintain law and order, should not allow for an infringement of the right of expression. The Baroda case raises serious questions about the state's intention to safeguard artists' freedom right to expression.

We see the case against Chandramohan not only as a gross miscarriage of justice. We strongly condemn attempts on the part of communal political outfits to unnecessarily politicize issues connected with artistic expression.

Also disturbing is the news that the Vice Chancellor of M. S. University has refused to file an F.I.R. against Neeraj Jain, the political engineer behind the episode.

We express our solidarity with Chandramohan and pledge our commitment to support the freedom of artistic expression.

C.C.:
The Vice Chancellor, MSU, Vadodara.
The Director General of Police, State of Gujarat.
The Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU, Vadodara (for Information).

Please send your signature to gallerychemould@gmail.com or johnyml@gmail.com

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