Renowned artist Sanatan Dinda resigns from Bengal art body in protest of RG Kar tragedy

Renowned visual artist Sanatan Dinda resigned from the Rajya Charukala Parishad, today, Thursday, September 5, an autonomous body under the West Bengal government's Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, to protest the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last month. This was stated in a report by IANS.

The Rajya Charukala Parishad was established to promote visual arts in West Bengal.

In a social media post announcing his resignation, Dinda expressed frustration over the 'silence' of fellow artists associated with the autonomous body regarding the RG Kar incident.

Dinda criticised the Rajya Charukala Parishad for not being free from political influence, stating, “Although the body is described as autonomous, it is not independent of political sway. Many esteemed artists are connected to this organisation, yet their response to the heinous murder of the victim has been absent. Their silence during this crisis has deeply hurt me. As an ordinary citizen and a conscious artist, I believe it is best not to remain affiliated with them.”

Furthermore, elaborating on his claim, Dinda pointed out that advertisements for the body’s programs feature Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s image, questioning the body's autonomy.

“Decisions made by the executive committee of the Parishad require state government approval. I prefer not to elaborate further to avoid diverting attention from the mass movement seeking justice for the RG Kar victim,” Dinda added.

The Rajya Charukala Parishad was founded in 1987 during the Left Front regime under late Chief Minister Jyoti Basu.

Earlier, noted playwright Chandan Sen also announced his decision to return the Dinabandhu Mitra Award, the highest state honour in theatre, which he received in 2017, in protest of the RG Kar incident.

Sen also offered to return the award money as part of his protest.