A discussion about a book that presents activist and academic Anand Teltumbde at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) was canceled on Tuesday night, reportedly on instructions from the Mumbai Police, soon after details of the event became public.
Titled Tales from Imprisoned Behind Bars, the session would feature Teltumbde along with writer Neeta Kolhatkar, and would be moderated by Scroll editor Naresh Fernandes. It was included in the festival program for Thursday night at 8 pm.
Festival director Brinda Miller declined to comment on the cancellation, but said it was “unforeseen and unfortunate” and that “KGAF’s safety comes first.”
TO Bombay The police officer said that no permit had been sought for the event and therefore none had been granted. When asked if individual festival sessions required separate permits, the officer did not respond. Another senior police officer said Mumbai Police does not usually order the cancellation of events and it was unlikely that such an instruction would have been issued.
However, an email sent by the organizers on Tuesday night, a copy of which has been seen by The indian expressinformed speakers that the discussion had been cancelled, citing a police request.
The description of the event on the KGAF website read: “What does it mean to lose freedom for an idea? Drawing on the narratives of political prisoners, Anand Teltumbde, Neeta Kolhatkar and Naresh Fernandes discuss how imprisonment becomes both a place of punishment and deep reflection.”
It was learned that the discussion was first proposed by the organizers in November 2025 and ended in December. It was originally scheduled for February 8 but was brought forward to February 6 after Teltumbde informed the organizers of a personal commitment.
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After the revised date circulated online this week, the event sparked trolling on social media. Later on the evening of February 3, organizers informed speakers that the debate had been cancelled, citing a request from the police. A follow-up email asked participants to delete social media posts related to the event.
“I really don’t know what happened. The situation is completely ridiculous. The event was originally scheduled for February 8, but since I had to travel to Bhopal For a wedding on February 7, I requested a reschedule, which the organizers were happy to accept. When a post began circulating informing people about the new date, the Mumbai Police asked for the event to be cancelled. This is what they have told me,” Teltumbde said.
He said the decision was difficult to understand since his book, The Cell and the Soul: A Prison Memoir, had already been published and discussed in public forums. “It has been discussed publicly, reviewed extensively by the press and read by many. We have held larger events around it before, including one recently at the Press Club, and they all went smoothly and smoothly,” he said.
Teltumbde, an academician, author and former IIT professor, was arrested in April 2020 in connection with the Elgaar Parishad case and was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in November 2022. While granting bail, the court observed that “the seizure of the incriminating material does not in any way prima facie lead to an inference that the appellant Teltumbde has committed or indulged in any terrorist act as contemplated in the Section 15 of the UAPA.”
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“It is a shame that the organizers succumbed to pressure from a few right-wing trolls and the police, following the sudden events that took place overnight,” said Neeta Kolhatkar, author of The Feared: Conversations with Eleven Political Prisoners. “These stories need to be told, citizens need to be informed, and unfortunately the organizers have deprived them of that. This cancel culture is not a good precedent for our democracy.”
This year marks the 26th edition of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. Its collaborators include Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra Tourism Department and UNESCO. Supporters of the festival include the Maharashtra Police and the Mumbai Traffic Police.
With contributions from Mohamed Thaver