CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Women’s Commission chairperson AS Kumari has directed the management of Kalakshetra Foundation and a member of the internal complaints committee (ICC) of the institute to appear before the commission on Monday.
Speaking to TNIE, Kumari said in order to prepare a detailed report on the matter she needs to speak to the college management and know from them the measures taken by them to handle the issue. “On Friday, when I visited the campus and interacted with the agitating students, neither the director nor the deputy director was present. I had spoken to the principal but he failed to give any answers,” Kumari said.
“I have asked the institute’s director, Revathi Ramachandran, and deputy director to meet me in my office on Monday. I have also asked the management to send one member of the ICC, which handled the harassment complaint, to my office,” she said.
Kumari said the commission will submit its report to the state government by Monday evening. “We are examining the written complaints given by the students with the help of a lawyer,” she said. Meanwhile, after students called off their agitation on Friday, police deployed on the campus have been called back.
The students are in their hostels but they are worried about their exams that were slated to take place on Monday. After the protest, the management closed the college till April 6 and also cancelled the exams.
‘Conduct exams as per schedule’
The students were directed to vacate the hostel within two days but most of them decided to stay back. The students during their meeting with Kumari on Friday had urged her to ask the management to conduct the exams as per schedule on Monday.
“I have spoken to the director and she assured me that examinations will be held in physical mode on Monday,” Kumari told TNIE. However, till the filing of this report, students had not received any official information regarding the exam.
‘Regressive practices, lackadaisical attitude’
According to students of Kalakshetra, adherence to a strict moral code and guru-sishya parampara had discouraged students from voicing their anger against some regressive practices of the institute but the disquiet turned into a full-blown agitation after the management continued to display a lackadaisical attitude in handling the sexual harassment allegations of students.