KOTTAYAM: The students’ protest at the state-run K R Narayanan Institute of Visual Science and Arts at Thekkumthala near Kottayam has taken a new turn following District Collector P K Jayasree’s order to close the institute for two weeks. It also entrusted the institute director to implement the order without delay.
With the collector’s order directing students to vacate the hostel, the protesters have decided to temporarily suspend the agitation in front of the institute.
Instead, they are planning to seek other options to enliven the issues they raised, including caste discrimination on the part of institute director Shankar Mohan. Students said they would resume protests when the institute reopens on January 8.
Though the collector’s directive came on Friday night, the institute director issued the order asking the students to vacate the hostel immediately only by Saturday evening, which put many in trouble.
“There are students here from outside Kerala. It is difficult for them to travel at night. As soon as we received the order on Saturday evening, we contacted the collector and sought time to vacate the hostel. Accordingly, we will be leaving the campus on Sunday morning’’, said Sreedev Suprakash, chairman of the students’ council.
The other day, the collector issued an order under section 81 of the Kerala Police Act 2011 to shut the institute till January 8.
The decision was made in view of the students’ warning to escalate the protest into a hunger strike from Christmas and the possible worsening of the law and order situation. The students have been protesting since December 5 demanding the ouster of the institute director alleging caste discrimination.