Amid protests by civil society members in West Bengal over the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Hospital earlier this month, a well-known theatre group from Malda district on Thursday said it will return a state grant of Rs 50,000 to protest the government’s handling of the case.
Saradindu Chakraborty, director of the Samabeta Prayas theatre group, said the grant was originally given to support a two-day theatre festival in the district.
However, in light of the brutal incident and the perceived failure of state machinery to tackle crime effectively, the group decided to decline financial support, he added.
Chakraborty stressed that “the state’s role in shielding the culprits and shirking responsibility is inexcusable. We refuse to accept any financial grant from this government and will return the money immediately.” The group plans to go ahead with the Natya Mela, scheduled for August 31 and September 1 at Englishbazar, Malda, using its own resources.
The state-run Paschim Bango Natya Academy provides grants of Rs 50,000 to theatre groups across the state to support and promote the group theatre movement.
Eminent theatre actor Kaushik Sen expressed support for the group’s decision, saying, “I stand by their decision. The response to this horrific incident and the way the state handled it should be dealt with in a manner that each individual or organisation deems fit.” Earlier, six Durga Puja committees in West Bengal had also refused to accept the state honorarium of Rs 85,000 in protest over the RG Kar incident, further highlighting the widespread discontent with the state’s response.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Republic staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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