AMN /
Famous Hindi writer Uday Prakash has decided to return his Sahitya Akademi award in protest against the murder of Kannada scholar and rationalist M.M. Kalburgi.
The former assistant professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University announced his intent through a Facebook post.
Currently in a village in Chhattisgarh, he will officially communicate his decision to the Akademi and return the award money of 1 lakh rupees and the citation next week when he returns to the Capital.
Prakash wrote that Prof. Kalburgi’s murder was part of a series of attacks on and instances of disrespect shown towards writers, artists, thinkers and intellectuals.
The Sahitya Akademi awarded him in 2010-11 for his collection of short stories, Mohan Das. Prof. Kalburgi was also an Akademi awardee.