Four Punjab writers announce to return Sahitya Akademi awards

Chandigarh: Four more eminent writers from Punjab on Monday announced to return their Sahitya Akademi awards, joining the protest by litterateurs against the spread of "communal poison" and "rising intolerance" in the country.

In a joint statement here, Punjabi language writer and poet Surjit Patar, novelist and story writer Baldev Singh Sadaknama, poets Jaswinder and Darshan Buttar said they too would be returning their awards as a mark of protest.

Citing the murder of noted rationalists and the Dadri lynching incident, the writers said the current attempts to create "communal divisions" and "religious fundamentalism" in the society were not only unacceptable but should be jointly fought against.

They said returning the award was a form of protest, but they were ready for other forms of dissent as well.

At least 21 authors and poets have so far announced their decision to return Sahitya Akademi awards to protest against the literary body's silence over attacks on writers and rationalists who were raising their voice of dissent.