External member Adv BS Ajeetha of the ICC resigned, saying she was quite disturbed by the recent happenings in the institution.
The students are demanding the immediate termination of the four accused faculty members. (Supplied)
A three-member independent inquiry committee will probe the charges of sexual misconduct levelled against faculty members of the Kalakshetra Foundation.
A board meeting of the foundation decided to constitute the independent panel, which will also look into the allegations students have made against the institute.
Justice (Retd) K Kannan, former DGP of Tamil Nadu Letika Saran, and Dr Shobha Varthaman, a member of Medicine Sans Frontières, are the members of the committee, the board said in a statement on Tuesday, 4 April.
Varthaman is the mother of IAF officer Vir Chakra-recipient Abhinandan Varthaman, who was held captive in Pakistan for around 60 hours after his MiG-21 Bison was downed in a dogfight in February 2019.
The foundation’s statement, however, did not mention any timeframe for commencing or completing the probe.
Sources close to the Kalakshetra management told South First that the committee would commence its probe in a week.
The board meeting on Monday reviewed the recent developments on the campus and expressed concern over the incidents.
The decision to form an independent panel was made at a board meeting that was held on Monday.
The board also said that Assistant Professor Hari Padman had been placed under suspension. The Adayar police arrested him on Monday, based on a complaint lodged by an alumna of Kalakshetra.
Repertory artists Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan, and Sreenath were terminated from service with immediate effect, the board announced.
The board also decided on the reconstitution of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).
It also decided to appoint a new student counsellor and an Independent Advisory Committee.
The students had expressed a lack of confidence in the counsellor.
Madras High Court Advocate BS Ajeetha, who was a member of the ICC, tendered her resignation on Tuesday.
The external member on the panel said she was “quite disturbed by the recent happenings in your institution and the response of the administration to the issues”.
“The present atmosphere in the institution and the large-scale discontentment of the women students and staff make me rethink as to whether I should continue to be an external member of the ICC attached to the institute,” she stated in her resignation letter, forwarded to the director of Kalakshetra.
The ICC had earlier given a clean chit to the accused assistant professor.
The board also requested the students to attend the exams, which have been rescheduled to 5 April.
The students have demanded written assurance from the board that it would look into their grievances before taking the exams. They said they would not sit for the exams until their demands were met.
The students raised their demands when the Board members explained their decisions. They have been protesting against the foundation for allegedly shielding the accused faculty member.
“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 Board said.
Kalakshetra had earlier termed the “baseless charges” of sexual abuse a part of a “scurrilous campaign” to malign its reputation.
Founder in 1936, the Kalakshetra is under the Union Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The National Women’s Commission had last week asked the Tamil Nadu police chief to probe the allegations.
The panel, however, said the probe was not necessary after the Foundation issued a statement, condemning the “scurrilous campaign” against it.
The police registered a case after a written complaint was lodged. The issue also found resonance in the state Assembly. Chief Minister MK Stalin assured the House that no one would be spared if found guilty.
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