Intolerance row: Writers withdraw names from Bangalore Literature Festival

New Delhi: A few prominent Kannada writers have withdrawn from the Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF) to be held on 5 and 6 of December, because of the director of the event Vikram Sampath. According to a report in Hindustan Times, the director has criticized the on-going trend of writers returning their awards.

Sampath had reportedly labeled these writers as 'sheep'. Writers Dayanand TK and Arif Raja have written letters to the organizers raising this issue.

The writers said that they do not want to be a part of the festival whose organizers pay no heed to the sentiments and “feeling of terror” that these writers express through their act.  

Following this event, director Vikram Sampath has withdrawn from participating in the festival, according to a report in DNA. The director issued a message stating his reasons for separating himself from the event on his Facebook page.