Kochi: The heat intensifies regarding the allegations leveled against director Ranjith by Bengali actress Sreelekha Mithra, as more people join the fray demanding his resignation. Ranjith, who is the chairman of the Chalachithra Academy, has faced mounting criticism. The latest to weigh in is renowned director Dr. Biju, who strongly reacted through a Facebook post, calling for the government to dismiss Ranjith from his position.

In his FB post, Dr Biju pointed out that Ranjith has been under a cloud of doubt due to numerous allegations over the past three years. 

“Previously, a complaint was raised against him for attempting to influence jury members to fix the state award in favour of his associates and to deny awards to those he disliked. Director Vinayan and two jury members had publicly clarified this issue. Moreover, some directors raised concerns about the selection of films for the IFFK, alleging that many films were chosen without proper screening and presented digital evidence to support their claims,” he said.

Dr Biju also mentioned that Ranjith's comparison of the audience to dogs had caused an uproar. “This is the same chairman who had made derogatory statements about several directors, including me, during the IFFK.” 

He reminded that it was the general council members of the Chalachitra Academy who had previously demanded the chairman's ouster.

“The Cultural Affairs Minister had stated that all these incidents would be investigated and explanations sought from the director. However, nothing has happened to date. Now, with an actress coming forward with allegations against the director, the government should immediately dismiss him. It should not be taken lightly that a sexual abuse allegation has been made against someone in such a responsible position. The Cultural Minister is free to view the director as a legend, but given the actress’s public statements about the director's misconduct, Ranjith has no right to remain in his post,” Dr. Biju said.

He concluded his FB post by expressing skepticism about any action being taken, given the current state of affairs in Kerala. “The situation is so deplorable that it has to tolerate such corrupt feudal elements in responsible positions,” Dr Biju said.