Bengaluru academy bans all plays after Gandhi row, sparks debate

Both sides filed complaints at Banashankari police station, following which the police began investigating the incident.

Bengaluru: A police order stopping all theatre performances at Bengaluru’s Suchitra Film and Cultural Academy has sparked a debate over artistic freedom and the limits of police intervention in cultural spaces.

The Banashankari police issued the directive following a dispute during the October 31 staging of ‘The Truth Behind Gandhi’s Assassination’, authored by Addanda C Cariappa, former director of Mysuru Rangayana. The confrontation led to complaints and counter-complaints, and an investigation is under way.

The police have instructed the academy to postpone all theatre performances until further orders. The directive also warns of legal action if any event is held and causes a law-and-order problem.

The decision has been criticised by writers and social media users, who argue that the restriction affects not just the organisers of the controversial play but also other theatre groups and artists using the venue.

Writer Rohith Chakrathirtha alleged that the order brought back memories of censorship during the Emergency of 1975-77, when cultural and media expression faced restrictions. He questioned the government’s commitment to freedom of expression, pointing out that even staging a play had now been prohibited at the academy.

Writer Beluru Sudarshan questioned why the police had imposed a blanket ban on all performances because of a dispute over one production. He demanded that the order be withdrawn and alleged that the action amounted to intimidation of the cultural institution.

The dispute began when protesters objected to certain dialogues in Cariappa’s play, alleging that Mahatma Gandhi had been portrayed in an objectionable manner. During the protest, black ink was allegedly thrown on Cariappa’s face. The situation escalated into a verbal confrontation, with allegations of physical manhandling.

Both sides filed complaints at Banashankari police station, following which the police began investigating the incident.

The police directive has added a new dimension to the controversy. While the original dispute concerned the content of a particular play and the confrontation during its performance, the subsequent restriction has raised concerns about the impact on the wider theatre community.

The question now being raised by critics is whether the investigation could proceed without bringing all theatrical activity at the academy to a halt.