A day after assistant professor Hari Padman was arrested by the Chennai city police for sexual harassment allegations, the board of Kalakshetra Foundation has appointed an independent inquiry committee to probe into the allegations by students against the professors and teaching staff. In addition to the inquiry committee, the foundation has also terminated the services of three repertory artists - Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath who are also facing sexual harassment allegations.
The inquiry committee will be led by Justice (Retd) K. Kannan and will include Letika Saran, former Tamil Nadu DGP, and Dr Shobha Varthaman. The decision to appoint an inquiry committee came after the foundation’s board held an elaborate review meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation. Expressing concern over the recent developments and the events inside the campus, the board took several decisions including the appointment of an independent inquiry committee.
The board also announced its decision to reconstitute the Internal Complaints Committee, the appointment of a new student counsellor and the establishment of an independent advisory committee to strengthen the administration of the Kalakshetra Foundation. The reconstitution of complaints committee and an independent advisory committee were some of the major demands made by the students during their week-long protest.
The foundation has also appealed to the students to “attend the examinations, as rescheduled,” while assuring the safety and security of the students. “The Kalakshetra Foundation is fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of its students, and providing a secure and inclusive environment for all,” the statement added.
In the meantime, popular advocate and external member of the Kalakshetra Foundation’s Internal complaints committee, B.S. Ajeetha, has tendered her resignation. In her resignation letter, she expressed her dissatisfaction over the administration’s response to sexual harassment allegations against faculty members. “The present atmosphere in the institution and the large-scale discontentment of women students and staff make me rethink as to whether I should continue to be an external member of the IC attached to the institute. I have my own reservations regarding the responses made by the administration to the present controversy. Hence, I don’t want to associate myself anymore with your institution and particularly to continue as a member of the IC.”
She also expressed hope that "a better counsel will prevail to the administration" and “things will be sorted out in a judicious manner which will be acceptable to all affected students.”
Kalakshetra Foundation is a fine arts institution funded by the union government. It is one of the prestigious institutions where art and dance form the major components. However, complaints of sexual harassment and the institution propagating toxic culture had come up in the recent past. Four professors-- Hari Padman, Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath--have been accused of sexually harassing the students. Most of the complaints have been against assistant professor Padman, who was arrested by the Chennai Police from North Chennai on Monday.
