The “stones” that had been placed outside Kolkata’s Academy Of Fine Arts – leading to heated arguments between two groups on Sunday – were found to have been removed on Monday morning.
However, it is not exactly known who had removed them.
Situation was tense outside Kolkata’s Academy of Fine Arts on Sunday afternoon as a group of hundred actors, technicians and others involved in theatre had a heated exchange with some people, asking them to shift some stones that were being worshipped there since mid-June.
The latter group protested this and went to Hastings Police station to submit an appeal. Panchali Kar, who is among those leading the protest said that the police advised them to place the appeal before the Kolkata Municipal Corporation as their demand had been primarily to “remove” the “stones” kept under the tree.
Kar and the others were planning to take the next course of action on Monday. Police had been guarding the area since the argument took place outside Academy Of Fine Arts on Sunday afternoon. However, the stones were absent from the spot since Monday morning, and there was no confirmation on who had removed them.
Kar and others said it was very clear that an attempt was being made to set up a temple there and therefore they had demanded these to be shifted elsewhere.
Meanwhile, actor at Nandikar, Sohini Sengupta, said there were lot of things that needed to be addressed about the space outside Academy Of Fine Arts, not just the alleged attempt to set up a temple. “The atmosphere is not what it used to be earlier. Actors and audiences leaving the theatre hall at night do not feel comfortable and safe these days,” she said.
Read Sengupta’s article for The Bengal Story here.