Kerala Writer Sarah Joseph to Return Sahitya Akademi Award

Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award winner Sarah Joseph on Saturday said she would return the award to protest the lynching of a Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh

THRISSUR: Popular writer and Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award winner Sarah Joseph on Saturday said she would return the award to protest the lynching of a Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh over rumours that he ate beef.

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"The country is now passing through very tough times. I feel it's worse than the black days of the Emergency," said Joseph while announcing her decision to return the award she won in 2003.

"I will return the award alongwith the cash award that I received then," she told reporters here.

Referring to the lynching, Joseph said: "Our prime minister is a frequent flyer and gives big speeches on his trips abroad. The sad thing is that while he was away a man was beaten to death because he ate beef."