Film director Jeo Baby on December 8 opened the activities of the students’ union at Government College, Madappally, Vadakara near Kozhikode just days after the authorities at Farook College cancelled a film club event on their campus that he was supposed to attend earlier this week.
Mr. Baby, director of critically acclaimed movies such as Kaathal and The Great Indian Kitchen, thanked the organisers and the students’ union of the college for inviting him to the ceremony and extending him their support. This was his public event after a controversy broke out following the cancellation of the film club debate scheduled for December 5.
The Farook College authorities took the decision in the wake of objections raised by the Muslim Students Federation (MSF)-led college union, which claimed that Mr. Baby’s remarks were against the “moral values” of the college. MSF functionaries later said that they found Mr. Baby’s statements related to marriage and divorce objectionable.
Subsequently, Left students’ organisations such as the Students Federation of India (SFI) offered support to Mr. Baby, saying they would offer a platform for him to express his views. The students’ union at Madappally college is run by the SFI. The organisation also held protests outside Farook College on Decemeber 7. Meanwhile, writer Khadeeja Mumthas refused to attend another event on that campus while expressing solidarity with Mr. Baby.
