A book discussion at Mumbai’s prestigious Kala Ghoda Arts Festival featuring activist Anand Teltumbde scheduled for Thursday has been cancelled on the orders of the Mumbai Police, organisers told participants.
Participants were also asked to delete social media posts about the event.
Also scheduled to speak at the discussion, titled “Incarcerated: Tales from Behind Bars”, was Neeta Kolhatkar, author of The Feared: Conversations with Eleven Political Prisoners. It was to be moderated by Scroll editor Naresh Fernandes.
Teltumbde had been arrested on allegations that he was among the 16 who conspired to trigger caste riots in the village of Bhima Koregaon near Pune in 2018. He is currently out on bail. He is the author of several books, including The Cell and the Soul: A Prison Memoir.
This year’s edition of the annual Kala Ghoda Arts Festival started on January 31 and will end on February 8. Among the collaborators for the event are the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the Maharashtra Tourism Department and Unesco. Listed among the supporters of the festival are the Maharashtra Police and the Mumbai Traffic Police.
The programme contains a wide-range of events relating to dance, stand-up comedy, theatre, music and heritage walks.
Brinda Miller, festival director of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, declined comment on the matter.
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