S.A.S. Nagar, May 22- Playwright and theatre director Sanjivan Singh has said that it is regrettable that the Public Relations Department of the Punjab Government has shared on various social media platforms by removing the signature of the world-renowned painter Shobha Singh (honored as 'Raj Kalakar' by the Punjab Government in 1893) from the portrait of Guru Hargobind Sahib made by him, without the formal consent of his family. He said that such shameful acts keep happening often in the entertainment world, but this is perhaps the first such act by any government department.
In a statement issued here, he said that Shobha Singh's artworks are registered under the Copyright Act of the Government of India and all publication rights are reserved with the family. Despite this, using the portrait of Guru Hargobind Sahib without permission and by removing the name of the artist is a direct violation of the Copyright Act.
Condemning the action of the Public Relations Department, Sanjivan said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should take strict action against the responsible officers and employees, otherwise how can any government department dare to distort the teachings of gurus, saints and prophets, and the works of art of great litterateurs and artists and use them without their names.