The management of Bikaner House in the Capital on Thursday said Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s son Raihan Vadra was directed to remove “certain photographs” from his solo exhibition after they were found “inconsistent with the policy” of the cultural society.
“Certain photographs displayed … (were) found to be inconsistent with the policy of the Bikaner House Management Society. “Bikaner House is a public cultural institution dedicated to the promotion of art and culture. The exhibition and associated activities must comply with Bikaner House Management Society Policy. The photographs that are consistent with the Society’s policy have been continued to be displayed,” it added. Bikaner House is owned and managed by the Rajasthan government. The exhibition ultimately featured wildlife and street photography. “The photos are simply a visual documentation of the people and the armed forces at the protests with no added commentary. The images in question depicted protests carried out by young people in Delhi. Evidently, the management found the content of these images ‘objectionable. They also instructed me to remove two images featuring the Tricolour,” the statement read.
Earlier reporting noted: “Five hours ago, the management of Bikaner House compelled me to remove most of the artworks from my exhibition, ‘No Idea Is Final,’ which is scheduled to open this evening at 7 pm.
Accordingly, their removal was requested,” the management said. In a statement, he alleged he was told to remove the photos only hours before the event was to begin. “Yesterday [Tuesday] I was contacted by the management of Bikaner House raising objections towards the ‘political nature’ of the protest images and was requested to remove them,” the 26-year-old said in the statement that was circulated at the opening of the exhibition. He said the proposal approved by the Bikaner House management on June 30, 2025, clearly stated the exhibition would feature images depicting “themes of choice, control, and unity”. Not a single photograph taken by me contains any derogatory or inflammatory comment of any kind,” he said. He also alleged that Rohit Kumar, the principal resident commissioner of Bikaner House, toured the rooms where the photographs were displayed before purportedly “calling the Rajasthan chief secretary” and another officer at the Chief Minister’s Office. Earlier reporting noted: Raihan said he had declined to remove the photograph featuring the Indian national flag, adding that the exhibition would continue with a limited selection of works for now. He said he would seek an alternative venue to showcase the complete collection of photographs documenting the protests.
Raihan was ordered to take down images from his solo exhibition, No Idea is Final, which opened on Wednesday. Earlier reporting noted: Priyanka Gandhi shares message for son Raihan Vadra amid Bikaner House exhibition row Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday voiced support for her son, Raihan R Vadra, after he alleged that authorities had asked him to remove certain photographs related to the Delhi protests , including an image of the national flag, from his exhibition scheduled to open on Thursday at the Bikaner House in the capital.
