Indian theatre festival forced to close after Hindu vigilantes object to satirical plays

Rightwing Hindu vigilante groups in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh have forced the cancellation of an annual theatre festival, after threatening violence over satirical plays they accused of being “anti-national”.

The annual theatre festival organised by the Indian People’s Theatre Association in the small town of Chhatarpur became the object of abuse and violent threats by Bajrang Dal, a hardline Hindu group linked with the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP).

The festival has been running since 2015, with theatre groups from across India taking part in plays and workshops over five days. However, this year Bajrang Dal began a campaign, accusing the organisers of programming “anti-national” and “anti-Hindu” plays, despite only knowing the titles.

Their ire was directed at a production of the well-known satire Jati Hi Poocho Sadhu Ki, which translates as “ask only the caste of the [Hindu] holy man”, written by the playwright Vijay Tendulkar, and another, newer play with the satirical title Besharammev Jayate, translating as Shamelessness Alone Triumphs, a play on India’s national slogan Satyameva jayate, Truth alone triumphs.

After Bajrang Dal threatened “violent agitation” the festival organisers, who say the police failed to offer them protection, were forced to cancel, two days before the festival was due to begin.

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Since the BJP came to power in 2014, cultural organisations have increasingly been under assault by hardline religious groups. This was the second recent cultural event in Madhya Pradesh Bajrang Dal vigilantes had shut down: a Muslim comedian Munawar Faruqui spent almost a month in jail in January for “anti-national” jokes he said he had never told, after Bajrang Dal members stormed his standup show, falsely accused him of insulting Hinduism, and had him arrested.

Shivendra Shukla, general secretary of the Indian People’s Theatre Association, said the group had begun receiving unknown phone calls from Bajrang Dal after they put up posters for the event in early February.

“They were angrily asking why we were putting on plays with anti-Hindu, anti-national, anti-cultural titles,” said Shukla. “They had not even seen the play or read the script, they had just seen the name. I tried to explain to them it was satire, these plays are not against Hinduism or against India. But they would not listen and said it must not be allowed.”

Tendulkar’s play Jati Hi Poocho Sadhu Ki, written in 1978, is a dark satire on India’s post-Independence education system, about a man from India’s lower castes who gains a master’s degree and comes up against society, state and the government in his attempt to get a job.

Bajrang Dal sent a letter to the magistrate of Chhatarpur, stating that the play was “against Hindu culture and religion” and threatening violent action if it was not shut down.

Shukla went to the police, but they suggested only that the organisers change the names of the plays – and then that they drop them from the programme. Shukla said that, while “surprised”, he agreed to remove the plays “to avoid trouble and violence for everyone”. However, he still could not get assurances from the police that they would protect the festival from Bajrang Dal violence, he said, with the police superintendent suggesting the organisers and Bajrang Dal negotiate. With the police allegedly refusing to give the official go-ahead, Shukla had “no choice but to cancel, or put people’s lives at risk”.

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The police have denied they ever received the request for permission for the festival.

Surendra Shivharay, the head of Chhatarpur’s Bajrang Dal section, defended the group’s threats against the festival. “People like this want to divide India,” he said. “These play titles were very disrespectful to the Indian flag and to our holy men. How long should Hindus have to tolerate this, why are they putting on plays that target Hindus? Why not put on a play about Muslim autocracy or about the Christians?

He said he had “not read the plays and I don’t need to. The titles of them is objectionable, that’s all we need to know”. He added: “Freedom of speech doesn’t mean you can do anything that you want and we will not tolerate this, at least not in my district.”

Shukla said that despite the threats, and although the cancellation had cost the theatre organisation more than 150,000 rupees (£1,500), it still intended to hold the festival at a later date, and perform all the plays.

“We will get the members of Bajrang Dal to sit and watch to show them there is nothing controversial or anti-Hindu or anti-national about them,” he said. “The cultural movement will not stop because we are afraid of them and their violence.”