This refers to the article, “Free speech, but within limits” (January 13) by Kushan Mitra. I concur with the author's view that ours is a different Constitution from the one in place in France. As regards the Charlie Hebdo incident, which cannot be justified by any stretch of imagination, one should realise that, from the Indian perspective, the freedom of expression ceases to be absolute when it violates others’ freedom to live in peace. Sections 153(A) and 295(A) of the Indian Penal Code elaborate on how hurting religious sentiments is a punishable offence.
In India, we also witnessed the repercussions stemming from the controversial works of the likes of MF Husain and Taslima Nasreen. Similarly, the Christian community in India also protested against the Hollywood film,The Da Vinci Code. So, acting upon the writer's advice, why not spare religion from caricatures or spoofsIJ The answer to the ‘What's offensiveIJ' question, lies in self-censorship.