Raihan Vadra, the nephew of Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, has alleged that he was forced to remove several photographs documenting youth protests in Delhi from an exhibition at a government-run cultural center, hours before its opening.
Vadra, 26, the son of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, said the management of Bikaner House asked him to remove the photographs, describing their content as “objectionable.”
“The photos were of the youth protests in Delhi,” Vadra said in a social media post. “Apparently the content is objectionable.”
He also said he was asked to remove two photographs of the Indian national flag but refused to do so.
The management of Bikaner House said it had requested the removal of photographs that were inconsistent with its exhibition policy.
The incident comes amid growing youth-led protests against the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The demonstrations, associated with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), have emerged as a challenge to the ruling administration.
CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were released from Tihar Jail on Wednesday night. They had been arrested on allegations of trespassing at Jantar Mantar after the site was denotified as a designated protest venue.
The protesters have demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
A weeks-long sit-in protest earlier this year also put pressure on the Modi government, leading to the resignation of its education minister in July amid controversy over examination paper leaks.
The removal of the photographs has raised questions about the space available for documenting and displaying politically sensitive protests at public cultural venues.
