Adoor Gopalakrishnan, KR Narayanan Institute of Visual Science and Arts | Photo: Mathrubhumi archives
Thiruvananthapuram: Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who resigned as the chairman of the KR Narayanan Institute of Visual Science and Arts (KRNNIVSA), said on Tuesday that the female employees of the institute were taught acting and given classes to speak against the director, prior to them appearing before the investigation team.
Addressing the media, Adoor stood stern in his stance to protect the former director of the institute, Shankar Mohan. He criticised the investigation commission and rejected the students’ protest.
Speaking at a meet the press event in Thiruvananthapuram, Adoor said that the allegations against Shankar were baseless. Criticising the media, he said they did not try to find the truth. Reading the relevant sections of his resignation letter, Adoor said that a professional, who has worked in different sectors without any complaints being raised against him, was insulted and made to step down by levelling false allegations against him.
Adoor further said that he does not want to continue as the chairman of an institute that was being run to ruin. He added that he too had taken initiative to appoint the investigation commission.
The filmmaker added that the protestors were aiming to get sincere people expelled. Adoor claimed that the allegation that the director discriminated against Dalit cleaning staff at the institute was found to be false in his investigation. No cleaning staff of the institute were Dalit, he said.
The filmmaker also claimed that the allegations levelled against the director’s wife were also false.
The protestors made the international film festival held at Thiruvananthapuram a platform for their protest, he said. PRO, two faculties, one demonstrator, a clerk and a storekeeper were behind the protests, he claimed.