Police book artists for obscenity Psychiatrist Pushap J Vhijula has lodged a complaint against Sanjeev Khandekar and Vaishali Narkar for exhibiting ‘semi-pornographic’ art as part of their ‘Tits Clits n Elephant Dick’’ exhibition The complainant Pushp J Vhijula Santosh Mishra Objecting to a art exhibition at Jehangir Art Gallery titled "Tits Clits n Elephant Dick", psychiatrist Pushp J Vhijula on Saturday lodged a police complaint against the artists for exhibiting semi-pornographic paintings and sculp­tures. Artists Sanjeev Khandekar and Vaishali Narkar have been booked under Section 292 of the Indian Pe­nal Code for obscenity. When Vhijula, 46, visited Jehangir Art Gallery on Saturday to see the exhibit she got into an argument with an art connoisseur. She then lodged a complaint with Colaba police station against the art work. Police entered the gallery at approximately 10.30 am and registered a case against the two artists. "The police and that woman created a scene in the gallery and now the police want to seize our entire work which is wrong. Being an artist we have freedom to express our thoughts through our paintings. We are harassed by this act of the police and are planning to take action by referring to 1954 high court judgement in the case against Akbar Padamsee," said Narkar. Her fellow exhibitor, Khandekar said, "Our work is an artistic expression of our thoughts and has noth­ing to do with porn. The woman has misunderstood the paintings and sculptures. Artists have been painting nude and semi-nude figures from the very begin­ning." The two artists plan to continue with the ongoing exhibition and take the paintings home after the ex­hibition ends on August 10. On behalf of the police, senior inspector Uday Singh Gaikwad of Colaba police station said, "We are talking to other artists on the issue and will decide our action accordingly." However, police intervention at the exhibition had created a furore in the city's artistic circle. "The police has no right to enter an art gallery and stop the exhibition. I think nobody can restrict an artist. I also expect artists to be sensitive to other's feel­ing and try not to offend them. This duos exhibit has nothing to do with obscenity, it is art," said senior artist Laxman Shreshta. "Freedom of expression is guaranteed in the Con­stitution. If you cannot accept nude paintings you should not go see the exhibitions. The name of the ex­hibition states its contents then why go there, see the paintings and create panic?" said Yogesh Kamdar an art lover and vice president of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties. '1954 JUDGEMENT PROTECTS ARTISTS' Khandekar and Narkar have said they plan to refer to the 1954 high court judgement in the case against painter Akbar Padamsee for exhibiting obscene art. "How can the police take action if just one person says it's obscene? Looking at it that way, there were sev­eral others who appreciated the art," said an upset Narkar. "The exhibits are not obscene. It is art," insisted Khandekar. Padamsee, for his part, said that the incident is sim­ilar to what he went through in 1954 at Pundole Art Gallery. "Police entered the gallery, stopped the exhibition and booked me for obscenity under Section 292 of the IPC. The state government lost the case in the lower court and therefore appealed in the high court. Pro­nouncing its judgement the high court said the police has no right to enter art galleries and stop an exhibi­tion. All the artists are exempt from Section 292 of the IPC when their work is being exhibited in an art gallery," said Padamsee.e added that Khandekar and Narkar should file a case against Vhijula and Colaba police for contempt of court. Being an artist we have freedom to express our thoughts through our paintings - Vaishali Narkar Our work is an artistic expression of our thoughts and has nothing to do with porn. The women has misunderstood the paintings and sculptures - Sanjeev Khandekar Mumbai Mirror, August 7th 2006