New Delhi, October 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Artist and photographer Raihan Vadra, son of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has alleged that Bikaner House ordered the removal of all 70 photographs from his exhibition, No Idea Is Final, despite his cooperation with the venue’s management.
The controversy erupted shortly before the exhibition was scheduled to open, after Raihan alleged that the administration objected to photographs depicting youth protests in Delhi.
Speaking exclusively to IANS, Raihan said he had read Bikaner House’s policy on political content and selected his photographs accordingly.
“I think what happened was wrong. I fully cooperated with Bikaner House. I read its policy on political content and selected my photographs accordingly. We did not put up political slogans, and there were not many photographs of political leaders,” he said.
Raihan said the management initially asked him to remove a few photographs, to which he was willing to agree if a reason was provided.
“I told them we would cooperate. I said they could remove four or five photographs if necessary, provided they gave us a reason,” he said.
However, he alleged that no explanation was given before the management asked for all 70 photographs to be removed.
“However, we were not given any explanation. Instead, they asked us to remove all 70 photographs. I believe this was wrong,” Raihan told IANS.
He said public institutions such as Bikaner House had a responsibility to uphold and protect the freedom of expression of artists, gallery owners and others. According to him, he was told that the photographs violated the institution’s policy.
Raihan said most of the photographs featured ordinary people participating in protests and were also available on his Instagram page. He urged the management to make its policies clearer and specify who would determine what qualifies as political content.
“Most art is political, and if you don’t agree then you should not implement such policies. I wasn’t given a specific reason,” he added.
Asked whether he supported the protesters, Raihan said he had attended the protest both as an artist and as an individual.
“Yes, I attended the protest as both a participant and an artist. I support it both as an artist and as an individual,” he said.
The exhibition, No Idea Is Final, was previewed on Wednesday and was scheduled to open on Thursday, with the run planned to continue until Sunday.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Raihan said the Bikaner House management had asked him to remove most of the artworks from the exhibition.
“The Bikaner House Management forced me to remove the bulk of the artworks displayed in my show ‘No Idea Is Final,’ which opened this evening at 7 p.m. The photos were of the youth protests in Delhi. Apparently, the content is ‘objectionable’. They also directed me to remove two photos of the Tiranga. I refused. I will not take down a picture of the Indian flag,” Vadra said.
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