“We need change,' proclaimed a poster held by a student while a couple of others displayed pictures of Dr BR Ambedkar. The students of the KR Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts, who are agitating against the institute’s director Shankar Mohan for allegedly sabotaging reservation norms and discriminating against Dalit students are determined. They want him to be removed from the post. The indefinite protest at the institute, named after the first Dailt president of the country, began on December 5 and is continuing.
The state government has appointed a panel to probe the allegations raised against Shankar Mohan. R Bindu, Kerala Minister for Higher Education had assured that the concerns raised by the students would be addressed fairly. Noted film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the chairman of the institute, had dismissed the allegations against the institute and its director as baseless.
The Students’ Council, however, did not relent to the Minister's request to end the strike in view of the decision to probe the allegations including denial of seat in the editing course to Sarath S, a Dalit student by not following reservation norms.
Watch the students' protest at IFFK venue
“We began the agitation and hoped to end it in five days anticipating a favourable response from the government. We are disappointed that he has not even been suspended. The allegations by the cleaning staff, the discrimination against Sarath… all these were enough to remove him from the post. Also, the demands made by us were basic. We will continue the strike until he is out,” says Sreedev Suprakash, chairman of the Students‘ Council. According to him, the students had been opposing Shankar Mohan since he joined in 2018 as grants and fellowships for eligible students were affected because of his actions.
“What the government ought to have done by now is to remove him. Is the government waiting for him to resign rather than removing him?” asks Sarath.
Students had also opposed Shankar Mohan for revising the structure of the course by reducing the duration from three years to two years. "Prior to 2018 the course was a three-year diploma. In 2018 it was revised as a three-year PG Diploma programme. But during the COVID-19 induced lockdown in 2020 that was again revised as a two-year PG Diploma. Also, after Shankar Mohan became director, students and alumni representatives of the Academic and Executive Council were removed,” alleges Sreedev.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan too had faced protest from the students of the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune for revising the syllabus, shortening the duration of all specialisations from three to two years back in 1996, when he was the Chairman of the Institute.
Sreedev also alleges that the admission process in the institute became disadvantageous for a section of students after Shankar Mohan assumed power. “The admission process, which includes an interview, lasts for three days. In the interview they started asking questions about the financial status of the students to see if they can pay fees till the course is completed. The students would say yes fearing they won’t get admission if said no,” he said.
The Students Council on Monday, December 19 sent an open letter to the government which said that if the government and the Academy (Kerala State Chalachithra Academy) are standing with Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Shankar Mohan, then you (the government) are with casteism which Kerala has been trying to uproot. The letter questioned Adoor being selected to inaugurate the Happiness International Film Festival organised by the State Chalachitra Academy.
The statement issued by the Students' Council on December 6 had alleged that reservation norms were not followed in admission for Direction and Screenplay and Editing. "For Editing course all the Dalit applicants were excluded by selecting only six students though there were many more applicants. In Direction, all the ten seats were given to the students of general category. LBS Centre for Science and Technology, which conducts examinations of the institute, in their explanation said that they follow reservation norms in admissions. So that the sabotage of reservation happened from the part of the institute," the Students' Council alleged.
Food for students in the institute is not subsidised and therefore not affordable to students. “The assurance given to the students in front of the Minister has not been followed. The Director is completely silent on a letter submitted by the first year students to the Minister. The students who have to follow a revised course structure have not been provided a clear syllabus or academic calendar," says the Student Council statement. Shankar Mohan has also been accused of forcing the cleaning staff employed by the institute to do domestic chores at his residence.