Guwahati: Assam-based graffiti artist Neelim Mahanta was detained by Dispur Police in Guwahati on Saturday on allegations of damaging public property.
Police seized his vehicles and painting equipment, including brushes. Chennai-based sculptor and painter Shyam Kumar was also taken into custody by Dispur Police after being brought from Kerala in connection with the same allegations.
Mahanta, a native of North Lakhimpur, is known across the Northeast for his public murals, activism through art, and works addressing local cultural and social issues.
His detention comes days after Noonmati Police detained artist Marshall Baruah in Guwahati.
Reports said Baruah was detained as a preventive measure amid suspicions that he might organise public protests or paint politically themed murals. He was released the following day.
Mahanta was previously arrested by Arunachal Pradesh Police in March 2022 after being invited to Itanagar to create graffiti opposing proposed mega dam projects in the Dibang region, with a combined capacity of 57,000 MW.
An Itanagar Police team travelled to his residence and took him into custody in connection with the artwork he had painted on the city’s ‘Wall of Harmony’.