Raihan Vadra, the photographer and son of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, alleged that Bikaner House management ordered the removal of his protest imagery less than 24 hours before his solo exhibition, "No Idea is Final," was scheduled to open. The show, previewed on Wednesday and set to open Thursday, featured street photography documenting recent youth movements in Delhi.
The deadline was stark. At 3:30 PM, Raihan said he was informed that if the images were not taken down by 5:00 PM, the entire show would be cancelled. He claimed the venue had approved his detailed proposal and layout well in advance, specifically noting themes of "choice, control and unity" in a document dated June 30, 2025. Despite this, Rohit Kumar, Principal Resident Commissioner of Bikaner House, inspected the photos and, after speaking with the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan, ordered all works deemed "political" be removed.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reacted swiftly, speaking to Times Now to defend her son. She labeled the incident "next level censorship," pointing out that the management had approved the proposal but acted in a manner she called "unfair." "They have removed pictures. They didn't allow us to put pictures in the room, so clearly it is censorship," she stated.
Raihan insisted his work contained no inflammatory content, describing the photos as simple visual documentation of people and armed forces at protests. After his team complied and replaced the images with blank frames, management objected to the frames themselves. Only two photographs featuring the Indian national flag remained, but Raihan said he was asked to remove those too. "I will not take down a picture of the Indian Flag," he said.
The removed collection is not disappearing. Raihan stated he will soon display the entire series at another venue, ensuring the work reaches the public despite the initial obstruction.