Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Sunday supported actor Naseeruddin Shah, who was recently trolled for his comments on mob violence. Shah also appeared in a video for the Amnesty India against alleged government crackdown on NGOs and said attempts were being made to “disturb” him. He had said that “Artistes, actors, scholars, poets are all being stifled. Journalists too are being silenced.”
In Kolkata on Sunday, when Sen was asked to comment on Shah’s recent observations, the Nobel laureate said, “We must protest against such attempts to disturb the actor. What has been happening (in the country) is objectionable. It should stop.”
Earlier, the actor had said that the death of a cow had become more important than the death of a police officer. He was referring to the murder of a police officer and a civilian in Bulandshahr of Uttar Pradesh on December 3 by a mob over alleged cow slaughter.
Sen added that many institutions in the country are under attack. “Even journalists are facing harassment,” Sen said. The economist said that “losing the ability to tolerate others is a serious cause of concern, it points to losing of the ability to think and analyse.”
