With the two-member panel mandated to look into the issues raised by the students of the K.R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts submitting its report to the Chief Minister, all eyes are now on the Kerala government which is expected to come up with a decision on the matter soon.
While reports have suggested that the panel found merit in some of the complaints raised by the protesting students and recommended expulsion of the institute’s director Shankar Mohan, no official confirmation was available on the same.
When contacted, panel member and former Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar confirmed the submission of the report for the consideration of the Chief Minister, but refused to respond to media reports in this regard. “We have suggested a solution to the issues faced by the institute and you will come to know about it in a couple of days,” he said.
Official sources, meanwhile, maintained that Mr. Mohan was not too keen on continuing in the post in view of the unending protests. “He also feels that the commission has not heard him properly and is tired of all the drama. Mr. Mohan is expected to come up with a decision soon,” they said.
The furore at the State-run film school began on December 5 triggered by a slew of accusations – from caste discrimination to forcing a group of women workers into doing domestic labour. A protest staged by the students during the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) the following week in Thiruvananthapuram brought renewed focus on the issue.
Mr. Mohan, however, has dismissed all the allegations, while the institute chairman Adoor Gopalakrishnan has firmly backed the former right from the beginning of the agitation.
