THRISSUR: The Kerala Lalithakala Akademi has summoned an urgent executive meeting and general council on Monday to review the award given to a cartoon on controversial Jalandhar Bish-op Franco Mulakkal, who is facing charges of raping a nun of his congregation.
The executive committee with six members will meet at 11 a.m. and the general council with 13 members at 2 p.m.
Both the committees may ask the award committee to rethink on the cartoon with Culture Minister A.K. Balan giving the akademi such a direction.
The award-winning cartoon by K.K. Subh-ash titled ‘Vishwasam Rakshathi’ that appea-red in ‘Hasya Kairali’ magazine in October last year shows bishop Franco holding a crosier with an innerwear at its end.
Vicar-General of Thrissur Archdiocese said that there would be protest in all Catholic Churches in the district on Sunday against the akademi declaring such an award which had hurt the sentiments of the devotees.
A group of functionaries of various forums associated with the Catholic Church had protested in front of the akademi headquarters here the other day.
The Catholic Congress will take out another protest march to the akademi head office here on Monday while the executive and general council meetings are held.
Meanwhile, cartoonist Subhash said that his creation was not to insult any faith.
He said that he had drawn the cartoon several months ago and that till it won the award there was no controversy about it.
Ponnyam Chandran, akademi secretary, lodged a complaint with the Town East police station on Thursday over a threat call he received the previous night. The person who introduced himself as a Catholic had threatened to kill him,
The cyber cell is at present tracing the mobile number from which the call was made.
CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran came down heavily on Minister Balan stating that the akademi is an autonomous body and that the award jury set up by it had decided it.
"Will Balan ask for a rethink if there is a similar controversy regarding a film award?" Kanam said the other day.
Meanwhile, writer, actor and social critic Joy Mathew lambasted the culture minister for acting under pressure from the Catholic Church.
He said in his Facebook post that this government had created history by asking to withdraw an award by citing the presence of an innerwear in a cartoon.
