Raihan Vadra says Bikaner House ordered protest photos removed

Photographer Raihan Vadra said Bikaner House required him to remove dozens of images of Delhi youth protests shortly before his exhibition opened, while the venue said the photographs did not comply with its policy. Vadra’s exhibition, No Idea Is Final, was scheduled to open at the government-run cultural venue in New Delhi on October 22. He said officials gave him a deadline of a few hours to take down the disputed work or face cancellation of the show. His account of the demand has been repeated across reports, but the venue has not identified the specific photographs or policy provisions at issue. Vadra said he was asked to remove 70 of the exhibition’s 105 photographs, including images documenting youth movements and protests in Delhi. One report, citing the venue’s account, put the requested removal total at 75; the figures have not been reconciled. The exhibition proceeded in reduced form, with photographs that the venue considered compliant remaining on display. The Bikaner House Management Society said certain photographs in the exhibition were inconsistent with its policy and that their removal was requested. It said works that complied with the policy continued to be...