At a time when right wing groups see red in every saffron or any expression with semblance to venerable shapes or concepts, Kundan Kumar Mahato, seems to have rocked the boat rather vigorously.
The 22-year-old student at Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) in Gujarat’s Vadodara stands expelled from the prestigious institute for creating an installation out of newspaper clippings of rape and murder of women, in the form of Hindu goddesses. The case dates back to May this year but Mahato clearly has been penalised for life.
It is pertinent to note that the installation was shown only to an internal jury at the MSU for an annual exhibition. It was not cleared for display. However, photos of the installation were circulated, triggering the controversy. It is not clear who took the photos or circulated them. After a FIR was filed against him by Gujarat Police on June 4, he was granted bail. However, he remains debarred from the varsity.
Mahato, who was in the first year of a Master’s degree in Sculpture and a first-generation learner, hails from Fulkaha Godain, in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district. A gold medallist from BHU’s Department of Visual Arts (2017-2021), he has been a rising name in art circles.
“I come from a village where people take up jobs as daily wagers after school. I dreamt of coming to this university for a long time and reaching new heights in Indian art, but I ended up in jail only four months into my course,” he shared.
His work was noticed by an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) member, who then registered a complaint with the Gujarat Police. Mahato was booked under Section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) and Section 298 (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings of any person) of the Indian Penal Code.
Emphasising that his intention was “not to hurt anyone’s sentiments,” Mahato said his artwork was an attempt to make a statement about women’s safety.
“The society says that women are goddesses, but in reality, women are attacked every day. I wanted to bring out the irony. It was an attempt to protect women. Is that wrong?”
Mahato issued apologies to the university on multiple occasions, hoping that he could continue the course, but to no avail. The son of a daily wager, Mahato dreamt about becoming a renowned sculptor for years. His advocate, Hitesh Gupta, said that Mahato was “victimised” because of his lack of resources and power. As he put it: “For a fair understanding of the case, one must understand his background. He is from a small village, but he put in his best efforts and reached MSU.”
The judgment, granting him bail, stated that no deliberate or malicious attempt to hurt religious feelings could be proved. His lawyer further clarified: “After the jury advised, the applicant removed the said art piece. The applicant has not further transmitted the said art work, therefore, no intention can be attributed to the present applicant for deliberate and malicious attempt to outrage the religious feelings of any class.”
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