Historian Romila Thapar, in a rare TV interview, tells NDTV that violent fringe groups should now be called "terrorist groups" for "they go around assassinating people, they go around throwing black paint on people... they are terrorizing society". "They are not fringe elements, they are hangers on of a certain political system," she says and asks, "are we going to allow what some people have called the underbelly of this government to take over and start calling the shots, literally and metaphorically?" Underscoring the need for public intellectuals to speak up, she says she is "very encouraged" by the writers' protest and that the returning of awards is a "statement against the government" for "in practice we have made them (awards) into government recognition".