A nucleus for fine arts will turn into a site of unrest on Monday with life members of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP), along with artists and art patrons, staging a protest against what they term “malpractices and corruption” in the institute.
Life member and artist Babu Eshwar Prasad, in a statement on Sunday, alleged that the parishath had “slipped rapidly on the path of destruction” over the past two years since B.L. Shankar (president), D.K. Chowta and K.E. Radhakrishna took over the reins.
Citing a report submitted on June 29 by the inquiry officer appointed by the District Registrar, Gandhinagar, the release said it was established that Mr. Shankar, Vice-President Radhakrishna, executive committee member G. Lakshmipathy and three other persons are not primary members of the parishath.
“Over the past two years, there have been no signs of art promotion and restoration. CKP has been commercialised and art workshops are being used as a tool for making money fraudulently. We press the government for an immediate enquiry towards this corruptive practice, and penalize the concerned members,” the statement said.
‘Allegations baseless ’
Reacting to the allegations, Mr. Shankar rubbished the allegations. “It may be for publicity or politics. Some people have been raising the same allegations for the past two years. An inquiry that was conducted found no irregularities. To end these accusations, the executive council had resolved to ask for a governmental audit of the parishath accounts for the past 20 years as well as check if membership had been given after following due procedure,” he said.
Life members, renowned artists to stage protest today
