'Decision of writers affirms independence'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi supported the decision of writers like Nayantara Sahgal to return the Sahitya Akademi award and the resignation of Shashi Deshpande from the akademi in protest against the murder of three rationalists in the country in the recent months.
He said they had set an extraordinary example by affirming that voices of independent expressions could not be stifled in the country through physical violence.
Delivering the K C John memorial lecture organized as part of Kovalam Literary Festival here on Saturday, Gandhi said death penalty should be abolished in India. "The retribution principle is superimposed on communalization of public perception and certain community is being targeted, which is leading to large scale support for the capital punishment," h
e said adding that Mahatma Gandhi, though a vegetarian, never supported a ban on beef.