The Calangute police on Monday served notice on reputed Goan artist Subodh Kerkar to “desist from getting involved in such activities which may insult religious feelings or religious beliefs”.

This action followed a petition by the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti  alleging that Kerkar had  insulted religious beliefs by publishing “drawings of Lord Ganesh in various positions.”

SP (North) Bosco George said Kerkar "should keep in mind the sentiments of the community and avoid creating a law and order problem. We will soon take a decision on whether or not the artist’s graphics hurt sentiments."

Kerkar on the other hand said he would go ahead with his exhibition, a series of sketches of Lord Ganesh, slated to remain open from August 20 to 31, and has sought police protection.

In a police complaint, Kerkar has said that he has been receiving threatening calls from as far as Pune after Sanathan Prabhat newspaper published the phone numbers of the cartoonist and the editor of the newspaper Lokmat Raju Nayak urging its followers to call up the two for the “blasphemous” cartoons.

Raju Nayak also said some Hindu fundamentalist have threatened to kill him and his family for publishing a cartoon in the newspaper. 

Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Patrakar Parishad, Mumbai, has termed the threats to kill issued to Lokmat Editor Raju Nayak for publishing cartoons of noted painter Subodh Kerkar, as assault on freedom of expression and has has condemned the threats to Nayak.

Meanwhile, members of the Shantadurga temple committee in Calangute said they did not find anything offensive with the paintings of Kerkar and felt the issue has been blown out of proportion.

Speaking to Herald, Chandrakant Chodankar, one of the committee members, said they went to confirm the veracity of the drawings by Kerkar on Monday, but did not find anything offensive with the paintings.

Kerkar reportedly told the committee members that since he too is a Hindu, he would never disrespect his own God and religion.

The HJS had earlier demanded that the Goa State Museum remove M F Husain’s ‘Standing Buddha’ from its gallery and threatened to attack the museum.