FTII Row: JU, SRFTI students condemn police action, filmmakers back protests

A press statement issued on behalf of the JU students said, “We strongly condemn the police atrocity in FTII. The state cannot use its machinery to deal with the students and as we demanded resignation of our V-C, we should expect the students there to take strong measures as well in order to stop police atrocity on students. We appeal to all students nationwide to rise unitedly against saffronisation of education.”

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Atish Chattopadhyay, president of SRFTI students council, said admission of police within the FTII campus was not acceptable and the government needs to mediate an unbiased talk between the students and the institute authorities.

“No one agrees to allow police on the campus and arrest students. We had seen something similar in JU recently.

Was the situation that bad at FTII? We feel that forcing someone to bow down will only be a temporary solution and the issue will spring up sooner or later,” Chattopadhyay said.

He added that they will come up with their future plan of action in this matter in a meeting on Thursday.

“We are also planning a programme on August 28, commemorating a year of non-resolve of the case of molestation of the JU student,” said Arumita Mitra, one of the protesting students.

Filmmaker Aparna Sen, too, lent her support to FTII protesters. “The arrest proves the failure of the director as an administrator. A gherao doesn’t call for summoning police and get students behind bars. They are like our children,” Sen said.

National Award-winning director Buddhadeb Dasgupta on Wednesday alleged that it was a case of “political vendetta”. “This is absolutely unpardonable. No one other than the director has the authority to allow police into the campus. This is a case of political vendetta,” Dasgupta said.

Alleging that the administration is treating film students as “criminals”, he said never before had the police entered into the FTII campus and arrested students.

“If they are doing something wrong, you tell them what is wrong. They are your students, just like your brothers and how you can get them arrested?” Dasgupta asked.

Another National Award-winning director Goutam Ghose echoed similar views. “It is sad if they politicise every issue. How will the students study,” he said.

Acting on a complaint filed by FTII Director Prashant Pathrabe, the police arrested five students from the campus on charges of rioting after a group of striking students had on Monday gheraoed him protesting against “irrational and unjustified” assessment of the incomplete diploma projects. The students had been on a strike for the last 69 days against the appointment of BJP member and TV actor Gajendra Chauhan as the institute’s chairman.