West Bengal Junior Doctor’s Front holds protest march demanding immediate resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal against R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital rape murder case, in Kolkata on September 2, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Two well-known theatre personalities and a National Award-winning actor have said that they will return awards given by the West Bengal government in protest against the R. G. Kar rape and murder case.
Acclaimed veteran playwright Chandan Sen, theatre director Biplab Bandyopadhyay and actor Sudipta Chakraborty said they will return awards after Trinamool Congress MLA and Bengali film actor Kanchan Mullick’s remarks on protesters.
On Sunday (September 3, 2024), Mr. Mullick had said that many government employees are participating in the protests and asked if they would not take their salary and bonus. “People who have taken government awards, will they give it back since they are protesting against the government,” he had asked.
Many senior artists have taken exception to these comments and called the MLA “arrogant”.
Mr. Sen, an 80-year-old thespian who has spent 52 years doing theatre, said he was shocked by his “colleague and acquaintance” Mr. Mullick’s comments. “I used to know Kanchan, I thought he respected me as a senior in the theatre world. I cannot believe what he said. I believe if he did not have political backing, he would not have the audacity to make such comments,” Mr. Sen told The Hindu.
Mr. Sen will return the ‘Dinabandhu Mitra Puroshkar’ presented to him by the government. It is one of the most prestigious awards in theatre.
“Awards are given with taxpayer’s money. I believed I got the award because people liked my work. But I am not greedy. If they have this audacity to ask us to return it, I will. I have already mailed them asking about the process of returning the award replica and the money,” he said. “My father was a doctor at a government hospital for over 40 years. I feel very personally for this cause and the plight of the doctors.”
Expressing solidarity with the resident doctors’ protests, Mr. Bandopadhyay told The Hindu, “Deciding to return the Paschimbanga Natya Akademi ‘Best Theatre Director’ award seems like the most natural decision to me. All people have been affected by the heinous crime at R.G. Kar and I am just one of them.”
Mr. Bandopadhyay was pained by the comments made by Mr. Mullick. “Does he mean that once a person has taken an award from the government, they will provide unconditional support to the government even if it is wrong,” he asked.
Ms. Chakraborty announced on social media that she will return the ‘Special Film Award’ received on July 24, 2013, in solidarity with the R.G. Kar movement. “In the wake of the current status of our State and the related comments made on September 1 by one of our respected MLAs Mr. Kanchan Mullick, I hereby wish to return my certificate and the honour bestowed upon me and continue my demand for Justice.” She said she will return the purse of ₹25,000 along with the award.