FTII Strike: Students to take strike to Delhi

For the last 41 days, students at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) have been protesting against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the Governing Council. In addition to this, the students have also sent letters to the I&B Ministry to dissolve the society, that has members including Anagha Ghaisas, Rahul Solapurkar, Narendra Pathak, among others.Assuming that the protests have fallen on deaf ears, the students have now decided to take the strike to the capital on August 3.
Delhi Chalo
To ensure that they are heard, FTII students have now decided to go to New Delhi on August 3. Addressing the media, Vikas Urs, a student representative said, “We will be going to Delhi on August 3 to question the government as to why they have been silent throughout. We are hopeful that we will get support from the local student councils of institutes like NSD, IIT Delhi, ICCR, ICHR and NIFT, among others. Since the letters have not resulted in anything tangible, we want to take the protests forward.” Rakesh Shukla, another representative of the student community, added, “The monsoon session of the Parliament has begun. The MPs will celebrate inside and we will celebrate outside.” Though the student community is yet to decide on how many students will participate in the protests in Delhi, they are hopeful that several students from other cities will also turn up to support the cause. However, the students at FTII point out that the protest in Delhi will be a peaceful one, where only art and culture will be used as a medium to send out their message.
Letters sent out to MPs
Students have also sent letters to several Members of the Parliament seeking support for their cause. “We have sent letters to different elected members across party lines seeking their solidarity. We are hopeful that these representatives will take up the issue in the Parliament. Since students cannot be a part of the Parliament, we have to ask MPs to study the issue and bring it up on a platform where it is important. The country has finally woken up to a film institute now. We would like to educate the MPs regarding the issue as well,” added Urs. However, visiting Delhi isn’t the last line of hope for the students. “We have been getting support from all quarters and we will be ensuring that the protests go on.
"We have also received a letter of support from the LIC workers, who are government employees. There is no question of backing out now,” said a student. Some MPs have orally responded, but a written confirmation still has to come.
Read: #FTIIMahabharat: "Chauhan is a nice man...," 'Masaan' filmmaker
No further dialogue till strike is called off, says director of FTII
On Tuesday, students had their first formal dialogue with the director Prashant Patharbe, who stated that the ministry has refused to respond to any of the letters sent. “The director has categorically told us that there will be no further dialogue, till the demand for dissolving the society is taken back. He has asked us to call off the strike. However, it is not possible for us to go back now,” said Shukla. Patharbe, till the time of going to press, was unavailable for comments.
Students feel threatened
Students have been concerned with reports floating about a temporary shut down on campus and vandalism outside campus. “We have always been engaged in a completely peaceful protest and such kind of reports have only demoralised us. A few days ago there was vandalism outside the campus and certain organisations have protested against us. However, we have only protested through art and the three question mark installations are erected for the same reason,” said Ranjit Nair, another student. The rustication letters sent out to students have failed to achieve the desired effect, as no time limit has been mentioned.
Click here to get LIVE updates on the FTII Protest.
SET ALERTS FOR YOUR FAVOURITE SHOWS HERE
For latest updates, news gossip & videos connect with Times TV on:
Twitter @TOITV | Facebook TimesTV | Instagram times_tv
Watch: FTII protests intensify, Gajendra Chauhan won't resign