Sahitya Akademi today said it is committed to freedom of expression and secular values. In a statement, Chairperson of the country's highest literary institution, Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, said Sahitya Akademi condemns attack on and murder of any writer or artist anywhere. <br/><br/>His response comes in the wake of several authors including Nayantara Sehgal, Sara Joseph, Uday Prakash and<br/>Ashok Vajpeyi returning their Sahitya Akademi awards in protest against rising intolerance. Three eminent writers from Punjab – Gurbachan Bhullar, Ajmer Singh Aulakh and Atamjit Singh also announced today that they were returning their Akademi awards over the issue. <br/><br/>Mr Tiwari said the Akademi is committed to the core secular values enshrined in the Constitution and right to life.