Are controversies marring the main issue of the FTII protest?

In its 44th day now, the strike at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) campus seems to be drifting from the ‘core issue’, with several controversies cropping up against the students. The students, who have been vehemently opposing the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the Governing Council, seem to be in the eye of the storm lately.Though the students are all set to move the protests to Delhi on August 3, life on campus is marred with tension and insecurity.
READ: ​FTII Strike: Students to take strike to Delhi
Alleged drug abuse on campus
Some members of the staff at FTII had lodged an informal complaint with the cops on Thursday, about drug consumption on campus. “Till now we have not been questioned but if the cops question us, we will certainly cooperate. However, these are all anonymous reports, as no faculty member has been named,” said Harishankar Nachimuthu, president of the student council.
13 students asked to vacate the hostel
On Thursday, the director of the institute, Prashant Patharbe issued a notice to 13 former students, instructing them to vacate their rooms on an immediate basis. Patharbe said in a press release that was issued to the media, “As decided earlier, the FTII administration today issued notices to 13 ex students who have been overstaying at the hostels even after completion of their courses. The FTII hostel rules forbid the students from overstaying except when permission is taken from the registrar or director. These 13 students have to vacate the rooms with immediate effect.”
Employee harassed by students?
Sanjay Chandekar, head of Radio FTII, filed an FIR on Wednesday with the Deccan Police Station, against some students who according to him “threatened” him after he expressed his stand regarding the agitation in a press conference on July 16. The FIR stated that he was mentally harassed and threatened by some students because he opposed the student strike on a public form. Vikas Urs, a student representative, said, “We are not following the case. We are busy with our work related to the protests. The police had visited the campus on Thursday but we have not been questioned in any regard. This is an imaginary complaint.”
Vandalism outside campus
On the night of the 38th day of the protest, some unidentified group of people destroyed the question mark and vandalised the entrance of the institute. Though the incident rattled the students, they were determined to continue their protest through art. Two days after that, three question marks were erected on the same place. “We are not bothered about the incident at all. It is a kind of distraction from the core issue that we are fighting for. We will not like to react about such incidents. To react is to give importance and such incidents do not need importance,” said Yashasvi Mishra, a former student, who is actively involved in the protests on campus.
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