More censor board members quit to protest government's 'cavalier manner'

New Delhi, Jan 17 : Eight members of the Censor Board, including Ira Bhaskar, Saturday resigned saying the events that led to chairperson Leela Samson quitting were "merely the proverbial last straw" and also protested the "cavalier and dismissive manner" in which the board is treated by the government. The members, who are Lora Prabhu, Pankaj Sharma, Rajeev Masand, Sekharbabu Kancherla, Shaji Karun, Shubhra Gupta and T.G. Thyagarajan, said that since the time they came on the board, they have been asking for some critical changes which were imperative if the functioning of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has to be reformed. The members said that despite sending numerous recommendations and appeals, and holding several meetings with the secretaries and senior officials of the information and broadcasting ministry, and even one with a previous minister, "not a single positive step has been taken by the ministry".