New Delhi: Artist and photographer Raihan Vadra, son of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and businessman Robert Vadra, on Wednesday alleged that the Bikaner House administration had asked him to remove photographs documenting recent protests by young people in Delhi from his solo exhibition, ‘No Idea Is Final’.
The exhibition was previewed on Wednesday and was scheduled to open on Thursday at 7 pm. More than 100 photographs featuring wildlife, abstract works, and street photography of recent youth movements in India were initially part of the show.
Raihan said the management had objected to the political nature of the protest photographs and asked for their removal shortly before the exhibition opened. According to him, he was told at 3.30 pm that the images had to be taken down by 5 pm or the show would be cancelled.
In a statement, Raihan said he had been contacted by the management at 6 pm on Tuesday and asked to remove the photographs. He said he had shared the detailed proposal and layout of the exhibition well in advance, making the request to remove nearly half the artworks less than 24 hours before the opening inappropriate.
“They told us at 3.30 pm today if the images are not taken down by 5 pm, the show will be cancelled. They said it is not the right time for such photos to be shown,” Raihan told PTI.
He maintained that the photographs did not convey any political message and merely documented protests over the previous six months.
“I felt it is my duty as an Indian artist, not just because I am doing a show right now, but it is my duty as an Indian artist to document what is going on… They are censoring the work of artists, I don't know what they are scared of. They even went to the extent of removing the picture of the Indian flag,” he said.
Raihan claimed the management had justified its objections by citing the prevailing political climate in India and saying it was not the right time to display the images.
He argued that political expression could not be separated from art, saying, “So I made the argument that first of all, you can't say don't show political art because all art is political. There is no art without politics.”
The photographer also alleged that the administration had instructed him to remove two photographs featuring the Indian Tricolour. He said he refused to remove the images of the national flag and would seek an alternative venue to display the full collection of protest photographs.
“For now, the exhibition will proceed in a limited capacity, but I will look for an alternative venue where I can display the entire collection of photographs related to the protests,” Raihan said in a statement.
The exhibition continued as scheduled, with around 40 photographs remaining on display while more than 70 were taken down, according to the account provided.
The first-floor rooms of the CCA building at Bikaner House were left largely empty after the photographs were removed. Bare nails remained on the red walls where the pictures had been displayed, while the Preamble to the Constitution ran along the walls.
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Priyanka Gandhi Vadra calls move ‘ridiculous’
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the removal of the photographs, describing it as an attempt to silence young people.
“I think it's ridiculous. What do you think? He is a young boy but I suppose you know, they are muzzling the voice of the youth across the nation. So it's only expected that they'll do it to anyone,” she told PTI.
She said the photographs contained no commentary or derogatory material and were simply visual documentation of protests.
“His photographs of the protests, not a single commentary, not a single thing that was either derogatory towards anyone, just a visual documentation of the protest. So, I mean, clearly this is the way they think. It's not a democracy anymore. Today it's him, tomorrow it'll be another artist,” she said.
A Bikaner House official told PTI that the administration was not authorised to comment.
Robert Vadra, Congress leaders condemn removal
Robert Vadra also criticised the alleged move and shared a statement posted by his son about the removal of the photographs.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera accused the establishment of being threatened by images documenting protests. In a post, he said that nearly half the exhibition had been taken down for being “political” and highlighted the alleged removal instructions concerning photographs of the Indian flag.
“When even the Tricolour isn’t safe from the censor’s scissors, perhaps the problem isn’t the art. It’s the regime,” Khera said.
He described the exposed nails on the walls as a metaphor for censorship and questioned why photographs of protests and the national flag had become objectionable.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also condemned the alleged censorship, calling the administration's behaviour “obtuse” and “churlish”.
“Absolutely churlish & obtuse behaviour by the establishment which controls Bikaner House,” Chidambaram wrote on X.
The Indian Youth Congress Legal Cell also criticised the action in a post on X, stating: “YOU CAN CENSOR THE FRAME. NOT THE TRUTH. Saheb dara hua hai (sir is scared).”
The exhibition, titled ‘No Idea Is Final’, was scheduled to run until Sunday. Raihan said it would continue in a limited capacity while he looked for another venue to display the full collection.
(With agency inputs from PTI and ANI)
