Raihan Vadra exhibition row | Bikaner House: Photos 'inconsistent' with our policy

Amid a controversy over artist and photographer Raihan Vadra being asked to remove 70 photographs from his solo exhibition in Delhi, Bikaner House Management Society on Thursday (October 22) said “certain photographs” were “inconsistent” with the venue’s policy.

Raihan, the son of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Robert Vadra, said the Bikaner House administration pulled down many of his pictures of the recent Delhi protests.

Also read: Priyanka Gandhi’s son alleges political censorship after protest images pulled from exhibition

In a statement, Bikaner House Management Society said, “The exhibition and associated activities must comply with Bikaner House Management Society Policy. Certain photographs displayed as part of Mr Raihan Vadra’s exhibition, “No Idea Is Final,” at Bikaner House were found to be inconsistent with the policy of the Bikaner House Management Society. Accordingly, their removal was requested. The photographs that are consistent with the Society’s policy have been continued to be displayed.”

What Raihan said

The show opened on Wednesday. Raihan said he was told at 3:30 pm that if the images are not taken down by 5 pm, the show will be cancelled.

He said he had shared the detailed proposal and layout of the show well in advance with the Bikaner House management. Bikaner House went ahead and took down some of the pictures.

Raihan alleged that one photo of the Indian flag was also taken down by the venue.

“Twenty-four hours before it was to open, I was first approached by the Bikaner House management and told that some of the images are against their policy. I said, ‘Let me know which ones; let's have a discussion’. I didn't hear back from them till the next day... when the Deputy Resident Commissioner reached out and said that we have to remove all these images, which were street photography images of the youth movements in Delhi over the last year,” Raihan told ANI.

Priyanka's criticism

Priyanka termed it "ridiculous and muzzling" of the voice of the youth across the nation. "Today it's him, tomorrow it'll be another artist," she told PTI.

In a post on X (Formerly Twitter), Priyanka said she was proud of her son. “When someone with power becomes afraid of the expression of another, he doesn’t know it, but he has already lost the very power he is trying to protect. You stand for what is true and everything beautiful will find its way to you. I am proud of you, always will be,” Priyanka wrote.

Over 100 photographs of wildlife, abstract works and street photography of the recent youth movements in India were initially part of the show. The exhibition, which continues till Sunday, goes on as scheduled with about 40 pictures on display.