New Delhi: In noir-style photos of the protest, visual artist and creator Raihan Vadra captures scenes from ongoing protests in the capital.
The photographs depict police personnel detaining demonstrators, with one of the frames showing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi standing amid the disorder, appearing distraught.
Vadra, the son of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and businessman Robert Vadra, and Rahul Gandhi’s nephew, is primarily known for his work as a visual artist. He does not have a political career.
The protests in New Delhi demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the electoral process. Demonstrators have also called for the withdrawal of revisions under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Authorities have detained large numbers of protesters in recent days as demonstrations continued in and around central Delhi, with opposition leaders and supporters repeatedly encountering police restrictions.
Social media reactions divided
Vadra’s photographs have drawn mixed reactions on social media.
“Bhai apne mama ji ko bol daina Tension nahi laini hum sab sath hai unke (Brother, tell your uncle not to worry. We are all with him),” one commenter wrote, adding, “Ab aar ya paar karege (It’s all or nothing).”
“RIP Indian Democracy 💔🇮🇳 But we won’t give up. We’ll fight till the very end!” another user wrote, expressing solidarity.
Others criticised the photographs for what they saw as a lack of balance.
“Amazing photos but unfortunately, they are telling only one side of reality! Both sides need to be represented!” one comment read.
Comments on the post have since been restricted, with only a few users permitted to respond.
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Raihan Vadra’s work as an artist
Vadra has previously held solo photography exhibitions, exploring themes of light, space and perception. His practice also includes wildlife and landscape photography.
In late 2024, he served as chief curator of the third edition of the group exhibition You Cannot Miss This at Delhi’s Bikaner House. At the time, he spoke about making art more accessible and relaxed by focusing on smaller ideas rather than imposing grand concepts on audiences.
“Our goal is to make art and the creative field freer, more relaxed, and fun. We’re playing with smaller ideas, allowing creativity to flow without the pressure of imposing grand concepts on our audience,” he told ThePrint in an earlier interview.
Edited by Maryam Hassan