Video: Watch Urdu poet Munawwar Rana giving back Sahitya Akademi award on Live TV - predicts and gets trolled

Munawwar Rana expressed fears that he may be targeted and labelled as a Pakistani as he was a Muslim. (Video below)

October 19, 2015, NewsCrunch

Urdu poet Munawwar Rana returned the Sahitya Akademi award, to protest the growing religious intolerance in India, on live TV.

The 62-year-old poet had been awarded the Sahitya Akademi in 2014 for his book 'Shahdaba'.

He also returned the Rs one lakh cheque given by the Akademi and said he would not accept any award from the government in the future. 

Munawwar Rana said that while many writers had been associated with some party or the other, he had always been apolitical.

"Though I come from Rae Bareli, where politics runs through the street drains, I never cared for it," he said.

He expressed fears that he may be targeted and labelled as a Pakistani as he was a Muslim.

"Many areas in this country are not linked with electricity but Muslims here are linked to Dawood Ibrahim," the poet said.

Munawwar Rana's words proved prophetic as he started trending on social media and drew fire from the trolls. 

Hindi writer Kashinath also returned the Akademi award on Sunday in response to the "irresponsible" comments by various ministers on writers who had given up their awards.

Video: Munawwar Rana returns Sahitya Akademi award on Live TV 

Munawwar Rana gets trolled after returning Akademi Award  

Shameless Munawwar Rana What happen to Power of Your Pen ?? Did Your Family Kids Start Playing "ISIS Games" Shame pic.twitter.com/ezrWGUPFR3

— RUPESH :-) (@rupeshsingh10) October 19, 2015

India history is full of far bigger crimes than Ikhlaq. Protest by writers like Munawwar Rana was never seen before. Smelling rat in it.

— Mayank Pareek (@pareek_mayank) October 19, 2015

People should stop buying books of Akademi Award Returnees. Then only these 'writers' will understand. Munawwar Rana

— Mahatma Modi (@PKBansall) October 19, 2015

"Munawwar Rana" 10-20 Senior Citizen wants to kidnap Indian Democracy..Laddoo hai kya? India will Governed by Low not by your stupidity.

— rs@rajinder (@rs41419) October 19, 2015

Munawwar Rana These bastards need to understand that their comfort zone of patronage and hobnobbing with enemies is not acceptable any more.

— Ashok Jain (@GetRidofDevils) October 19, 2015