Scores of celebrities and academicians have returned their awards as a protest against growing intolerance of the government and in support of agitation by the FTII students.
The murder of MM Kalburgi, a Kannada scholar, followed by lynching of a man over rumours that he ate beef only added fuel to fire.
These incidents have raged a debate both online and off it.
For instance, British Indian novelist and essayist Salman Rushdie has supported the move and called it “alarming times for free expression in India”.
Veteran actress and activist Shabana Azmi is another supporter of the protest has been quoted saying that this “should serve as a wake up call for the government...Instead of deflecting the debate to why the writers didn’t do so earlier let’s stand up and smell the coffee!”
Amidst support, the voices of dissent have been strong too. For instance, actress Vidya Balan has said that she will not return her national award since it was given to her by the country, not the government. Meanwhile, seasoned actor Anupam Kher and director Madhur Bhandarkar also criticised those who returned their awards by calling them “Award Wapsi Gang”.