More Punjabi writers, including celebrated Punjabi poet Surjit Patar, on Monday joined the nationwide protest against the rising intolerance in the country and curbs on freedom of speech. Patar too returned his Sahitya Akademi Award.
He is the sixth Punjabi writer to return the honour. Before him, Ajmer Aulakh, Atamjit, Gurbachan Singh Bhullar and Waryam Sandhu had returned their literary honours.
Taraksheel Society founder and Punjabi writer Megh Raj Mitter too returned the Shiromani likhari Award to the Punjab Government accusing Parkash Singh Badal-led Government of following “anti-farmer policies”.
Punjabi writers have responded to the call of by Association for Democratic Rights, Punjab, to protest against murder of decorated writers MM Kalbargi in Karnatka recently and Narendera Dabholkar in 2013.
Hindi writer Uday Prakash, Nayantara Shegal, poet Ashok Vajpeyi, Sara Joseph, Urdu writer Rahman Abbas have already returned their awards protesting the Akademi’s silence on the murder of fellow writer and Sahitya Akademi board member MM Kalburgi as well as against the “communal atmosphere” against the backdrop of the Dadri lynching incident.