The following is a statement signed and endorsed by more than a hundred artists, writers, critics, academics etc regarding the recent interference by the Government of India in some of the national institutions of culture and arts. The statement was issued on May 6. WE are deeply distressed at the way the present government is interfering in some of the national institutions of culture and the arts. The Lalit Kala Akademi has been taken over on unsubstantiated charges of irregularities. A President of India appointee chairman, with vast experience in culture administration with a PhD in Art History from Harvard, has been summarily removed and a culturally non-descript administrator has been appointed duly authorised to exercise all powers of the general council, executive board and the finance committee of the Akademi for three years. The Crafts Museum is being pushed aside to margins to yield space for an ill-conceived Academy of Crafts. The director general of the National Museum who had considerably improved the functioning of the institution making it more accessible and organised some major shows unprecedented in this moribund institution has been transferred. Again an administrator of the ministry of culture with no pretension to culture has been appointed. If these actions reveal a policy direction, it is alarming that autonomy, professionalism and stature of our national institutions are facing a severe assault of mediocrity, bureaucratic mindset and a narrow cultural vision. We condemn this trend most strongly and call upon the creative and thinking community of our country to join in protest against the mindless interference in our public institutional life of culture by an ill advised and insensitive government. The signatories to the statement include Krishna Sobti, K G Subramanyam, Krishen Khanna, Girish Karnad, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Kumar Shahani, Gulzar, Jogen Chowdhury, Ghulam Mohd. Sheikh, Kedarnath Singh, Prof. Romila Thapar, B N Goswamy, Arpita Singh, Ranjit Hoskote, Sadanand Menon, Balan Nambiar, Om Prakash Jain, Jyotindra Jain, Atul Dodiya, Ashok Vajpeyi, Geeta Kapur, Neelam Mansingh, AGK Menon, T M Krishna and Suresh Sharma.