Punjabi author returns Padma award

Chandigarh: With protesting writers and authors returning their awards in protest against the growing intolerance in the country, Punjabi author Dalip Kaur Tiwana has announced that she would return her Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian honour. The 80 year old said, “In this land of Buddha and Guru Nanak, atrocities committed on Sikhs in 1984 and on the Muslims recurrently because of communalism are an utter disgrace. In protest, I return the Padma Shri award. To kill those who stand for truth and justice put us to shame in the eyes of the world and God. In protest, I return the award.” Many Sahitya Akademi award winners like Assamese writer Homen Borgohain, Bengali poet Mandakranta Sen, four authors from Maharashtra and a Punjabi scholar have declared they would return their honours conferred by their respective state governments.