BHU professor superimposes his face on Ram painting, faces flak

Students accused him of hurting religious sentiments and demanded action against him

A visual arts teacher at the Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi triggered a controversy after he superimposed his and his wife's face over a painting of Lord Rama and his consort Sita, which was put on display at an exhibition in the Varsity campus.

According to reports, the teacher, identified as Amaresh Kumar, an assistant professor at the Department of Visual Arts, earned the wrath of the students and others when the visitors at the exhibition saw the painting with the superimposed pictures and created a ruckus there.

Reports said that the paintings sought to depict the life and deeds of Lord Rama.

While the students demanded action against Kumar, the assistant professor said that there was nothing wrong with what he had done. ''Lord Rama belongs to everyone,'' he said when queried in this regard.

The students, however, said that it was an attempt to offend religious beliefs of Hindus and that the Varsity must take action against the teacher. BHU officials said that the matter had come to their notice and that they were looking into the same.

The University had hit the headlines recently after a video that had gone viral on social media showed a senior professor of the social teaching the students about making 'upala' (cow dung cakes). After receiving much criticism, the teacher said that dung cakes could be used for performing 'havans' (a ritual by fire), puja and also as a fuel for preparing food. He also urged the central government to make arrangements for selling products that could be prepared from cow dung. ''It will help in increasing the income of the farmers,'' he had said.

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