Bhandari said the 74 photographs, which depicted student and youth protests, were removed only after Raihan Vadra’s family reportedly pressured Bikaner House, which had previously approved the exhibition proposal on June 30.
Raihan Vadra, a 28‑year‑old photographer, had titled his show "No Idea Is Final" and had shared the layout with Bikaner House in June, but the venue later objected to images featuring the Indian national flag.
Shashi Tharoor slammed the incident on X, calling it a "disgrace" and urging that the photographs, which simply documented protests, should have been allowed under freedom of expression.
Priyanka Gandhi defended her son, saying the images were neutral and that the removal was a political attack on her family's reputation.
Bikaner House has long maintained a policy against political content, but the exclusion of protest photography raises questions about the line between documentation and advocacy. The controversy has prompted calls for a review of the venue’s guidelines and a debate over the extent of political influence on cultural spaces.