Growing intolerance in India extremely worrying: Shabana Azmi

Intolerance will continue, but the question remains how the state will deal with it, says veteran actor

Extending support to those raising the issue of intolerance in India, veteran Indian actor Shabana Azmi has said the “growing intolerance is worrying” and the extremist elements need to be “put down”.

"The debate currently is not just about putting the fringe elements down, but also about respecting dissent," Shabana said at a session of Women in the World India Summit on Friday.

The former member of the parliament said given the fact that India was a pluralist country, “there are bound to be disagreements and dissent must be respected”.



"Intolerance will continue, but the question remains how the state will deal with it," she added.

Shabana is not alone who has raised voice against the rising intolerance in India. Many actors and artists in the country have been doing so after a movement surfaced in the wake of killing of a Muslim man in Dadri over rumours of having consumed beef. A number of writers also returned their state awards as a sign of dissent.



The matter also grabbed international attention as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was blamed for staying silent on the issue.

The article originally appeared on First Post