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Shiv Sena Bullies IIT-B Into Removing A Hanuman Mural From Their Cultural Festival Because Of 'Hurt Religious Sentiments', Obviously

Sigh.
Shailesh Andrade / Reuters

Students of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) were reportedly forced to remove a mural resembling Lord Hanuman -- part of their cultural festival 'Mood Indigo' -- and made to apologise to the Shiv Sena which objected to the art work.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the painting depicted a man in flight with a mountain on one hand and a pen on the other, instead of a mace. But that irked the Shiv Sena and had to be erased.

"The painting was in bad taste. It hurt the religious sentiments of many people. This is not the way to the portray a Hindu deity like Hanuman. Students should not have portrayed the deity like that," Shiv Sena leader Datta Dalvi told the newspaper.

The Times of India reports that a Sena activist Nilesh Salunkhe found out about the painting on Sunday night and on Monday morning he took other Sainiks along. While the organising committee had first said that they would cover the painting, Sainiks insisted that it be removed all together.

The police had to be called after protests broke out.

Shiv Sena, a Hindu right-wing political party, is known to have problems with everything that does not ally with their idea of Hindutva.

They have in the past protested against everything from concerts to Pakistani artists, and are know for their communal remarks in their mouth piece Saamana.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.