Student leader umar khalid excluded from mathrubhumi lit fest?

On hearing the festival director’s response, Nikhila says, “I am not sure, then, what the mail to me meant. I should inform that, I did respond saying, "I am not sure what this

means." And I asked in the reply, why Mathrubhumi decided to exclude Umar. No response to that mail too.” She adds, “In the light of all these events, if MBLit fest decides to include

Umar now – then, I am or anyone else is free to deduce that it is because the Litfest team is rethinking again, its stand on Umar's participation. I hope they decide to include him.” It

looks like the organisers are still healing from the backlash of publishing S Hareesh's constroversial book _Meesha_, that seems to have upset the right wing in Kerala. The novel,

publicised in the Mathrubhumi weekly, had to be withdrawn soon, and the writer said he wanted his family to be safe. Right-wing activists had taken offense to a conversation between two

characters in the novel, where they suggest that women dressing up to go to the temples are subconsciously making a declaration that they are ready for a sexual relationship. Following the

withdrawal of the novel, magazine editor Kamalram resigned from his post, with a note saying, "Long live secular India." _(Published in arrangement with The News Minute)_