Gujarat Governor appoints committee to examine incidents
Gandhinagar, July 12 (UNI) Gujarat Governor Nawal Kishore Sharma has appointed a three-member committee to find out facts relating to incidents of alleged attack on the Fine Arts Faculty members by the so called ''moral police'' two months back at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Vadodara over a controversial painting exhibition by a student.
The Governor, after getting representations from a number of organisations, citizens, artists, University teachers, Human right activists and students, who sought his help to resolve the crisis in the University, decided to appoint a committee to get the facts before deciding to invoke his powers as Visitor of the M S University to institute a Statutory Inquiry into the incidents.
Raj Bhavan sources said the Committee consisting of Prof Y K Alagh, Chairman of Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) as its Convenor, Prof Sudarshan Iyenger, Vice Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith and Hakubhai Shah, Eminent Artist and Art Critic as members, has been asked to submit its report, preferably within three weeks time to the Governor.
The committee would go into detail about the conduct and behaviour of university authorities in handling the situation, suggest measures for an amicable solution of the existing crisis and measures to prevent such incidents recurring in future. The committee would also examine and ascertain among other things the issue of obscenity of the art works, action of suspension of the incharge dean and related issues in details.
It may be recalled that the incident had occurred at Fine Arts students' work display during their annual examination on May 9, when BJP's city unit General Secretary Niraj Jain barged into the examination hall of the faculty, taking objection to some ''obscene'' pictures of Hindu gods, goddesses and Jesus Christ painted by a student Chandramohan, who was arrested and released on bail after four days of police custody.
In the process, Incharge Dean Shivaji Panikkar, other staff members and students were allegedly abused and threatened. Two final year students were arrested and five exhibits were also removed and sealed by the police.
The next day, Prof Panikkar was suspended, without framing any charges, for his refusal to stop the exhibition.
UNI