Sahitya Akademi protest: Complete list of writers who returned their awards

Over the past one week, disgruntled writers and poets across the country have returned the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award to protest the increasing incidents of communal violence in India.

Several elite writers and poets have also resigned their posts in the 20-member General Council of the country's top literary body, saying that they were shocked at the level of intolerance on freedom of speech and expression.

Hindi writer Uday Prakash was the first to return the prestigious award. Writer Nayantara Sahgal and poet Ashok Vajpeyi followed Prakash in protesting the murders of rationalists like MM Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar. They also came out against the shocking Dadri incident, in which a mob lynched a Muslim man in Greater Noida over rumours of eating and storing beef.

Over 25 litterateurs have returned the prestigious Akademi award, while four have resigned elite posts of the organisation.

Here is the list of litterateurs who returned their Sahitya Akademi Awards*

*The list does not include six Kannada writers who returned the State literary award on 3 October. Theatre artist Maya Krishna Rao has also returned her Sangeet Natak Akademi award on 12 October, while Shiromani Lekhak award winner Megh Raj Mitter has also announced to return his award.

List of litterateurs who resigned from Sahitya Akademi posts