MF Husain Under Fire Again
As mandated by a court decision, MF Husain’s paintings depicting Hindu deities, Ganesha and Hanuman will be seized. The ‘offensive’ artworks were displayed in DAG, Delhi. The ruling came after a complaint was filed by Amita Sachdeva, a Delhi High Court lawyer, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice out her concerns. Husain, who received India’s second-highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, passed away in 2011.
The Case of ‘Offensive’ MF Husain Paintings
Amita Sachdeva mentioned that she had taken photographs of the ‘offensive’ paintings at DAG, located in the Connaught Place area of New Delhi, on December 4. She lodged a police complaint on December 9 after studying earlier first information reports filed against Husain. However, upon revisiting the gallery on December 10, she discovered the paintings were no longer on display.
Sachdeva claimed on social media on December 13 that it had been inaccurately asserted that the artworks were never exhibited. At that time, she stated that she had submitted applications requesting that a case be initiated and that surveillance footage from December 4 to December 10 be preserved. On December 18, the Delhi court instructed that the footage be preserved and produced.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Sahil Monga of the Patiala House Courts noted that a report had been submitted by the investigating officer confirming that the CCTV footage from the specified dates had been preserved and attached to the report. On 20 January, a Delhi court ruled for the seizure of two artworks by the late MF Husain that were being showcased at DAG, Delhi following Sachedva’s allegations.
Amita Sachdeva on X
Amita Sachdeva took to X to comment, “On 04.12.2024, I clicked photos of offensive paintings displayed at DAG World at 22A, Windsor Place, Connaught Place, New Delhi, and filed a complaint on 09.12.2024 at Parliament Street police station after researching past FIRs against M F Husain. However, during a visit with the IO on 10.12.2024, the paintings were removed and falsely claimed they were never displayed. Is it acceptable to display such paintings in an exhibition under the guise of art?”
Sahil Monga on The ‘Offensive’ Nature of MF Husain’s Art
Sahil Monga said, “At this stage, an application… has been moved by the complainant for direction to the IO (Investigating Officer) to seize the painting in question. In light of the facts and circumstances mentioned in the said application, the said application is allowed and the IO is directed to seize the said painting and file a report on 22.01.2025.”
He added, “As per the ATR, the IO has already seized CCTV footage and the NVR (Network Video Recorder) of Delhi Art Gallery. It is further stated in the ATR [action taken report] that a list of paintings was provided by the Delhi Art Gallery in which the paintings in question are mentioned in Serial No. 6 and 10. It is further stated in the inquiry report that the exhibition was held in a private space and the said paintings were only to display the original work of authors/artists.”
DAG on the MF Husain Fiasco
DAG, in their official statement, stated, “Pending an inquiry into a few select works of M F Husain at a recent exhibition, DAG is reviewing the situation and seeking counsel. We are not party to any court proceedings so far and are trying to follow the developments. We will come back to you as soon as we have an update on the issues at hand.”
Image Courtesy – India Times
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