Karnataka teen joins chorus of protesting writers, returns Sahitya Akademi Award

Shimoga: 17-year-old author Ria Vithasha, known by her pen name Muddu Thirthahalli, joined the chorus of authors protesting against the growing cases of rising intolerance by returning her Sahitya Akademi Award.

"I am returning the award because there have been killings in the region. Many Sahitya people are being threatened but I want to fight against this. They are attacking the people's freedom," Vithasha told ANI here.

Thirthahalli, a first PUC (11th standard) student of Sahayadri High School in Shimoga district of Karnataka, returned the Sahitya Akademi Award she got in 2011 for a collection of her essays.

Writers, artists and literary icons are being criticised by political leaders for returning the awards, saying that it was not the 'right platform' for them to stage their protest and that they should take up their complaint with the state government or the Centre.