Hindi writer Uday Prakash has said that he will return the Sahitya Academy Award in protest against the murder of Kannada writer MM Kalburgi.

In a Facebook post, the scholar, journalist and former academician said: “This is not the moment to be silent and find a safe corner to hide in. Otherwise, these dangers will continue to rise.”

He said that he was in his village at present, but would return the citation and cash prize to the Academy when he visited Delhi in december. He thanked the selection committee members Ashok Vajpayee and Chitra Mridul for conferring the award on him for his book Mohan Das, and said that he hoped that writers would support his decision.

Uday Prakash hails from Sitapur village in Madhya Pradesh. He has taught in Jawaharlal University and has worked with Hindi daily Dinman as a sub-editor. One of his most famous works is a novella called Peeli Chhatri Wali Ladki. His work includes poetry, fiction and non-fiction.