Students of a national film institute in Kerala have decided to go on an indefinite hunger strike from December 25 as part of intensifying their nearly three week long stir against alleged discrimination.
Incidentally, the institute named after the country's first President from a Dalit community, is facing allegations of caste-based discrimination.
Students of K R Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts at Kottayam district in Kerala have been on a strike since December 5 demanding resignation of the institute director Shankar Mohan. The students allege that the director was denying admission to students from Dalit community to the eligible vacancies.
A section of staff also alleged caste-based discrimination by the director. Women cleaning staff alleged that the director used to make them clean toilets of his residence and insisted that they should take a bath before entering his residence.
The stir got much attention with many known film personalities backing the stir during the recently held International Film Festival of Kerala. The pro-ruling CPM students outfit, Students Federation of India, that initially kept off from the stir, on Wednesday staged a demonstration expressing solidarity with the students.
The students allege that even as a panel constituted by the state higher education minister R Bindu gave a report, no action was being taken against the director. The institute chairman, noted filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan was allegedly supporting the director.
The institute students' council Chairman Sreedev Suprakash said that many students were mentally upset as their studies were affected owing to the strike. The state government was not taking action against the director even as evidence to back the allegations were submitted.
Resentment among students towards various measures of the director was prevailing for quite some time. The students were unhappy over restructuring of various courses.
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