Art student thrashed, works sealed

Bajrang Dal activists today barged into M S University8217;s Fine Arts faculty and destroyed works put on display by students for their final assessment.

The 8220;moral brigade8221; was apparently infuriated by the works of Chandramohan, a Lalit Kala Akademi award winning final-year postgraduate art student. After Niraj Jain, who once contested the civic elections on a BJP ticket, and his supporters ran riot, Chandramohan and his friend Venkat Rao were detained by the police on Jain8217;s complaint. The Sayajigunj police refused to listen to Faculty Dean Shivaji Panikkar and sealed Chandramohan8217;s works.

8220;These works of art have hurt our religious sentiments,8221; Jain said as activists abused students, including girls, who were protesting against the treatment meted out to Chandramohan.

The two have been booked under Section 153 A of the IPC, for allegedly promoting enmity between religious groups. Christian groups led by Rev Emmanuel S Kant from the Methodist Church also objected to one of Chandramohan8217;s works figuring a cross. V-C Manoj Soni said the police had not informed the university about the arrest.