FTII Students' strike ends after 139 days

The first meeting of the Governing Council (GC) of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) with new members and under the chairmanship of actor Gajendra Chauhan has been postponed to January 7 next year. The meeting, which was earlier scheduled to be held on Friday, has been pushed because only a few members said they could attend it. “Some people weren't available for the December meeting, thus we postponed it to a date where more people will be present,” Chauhan, the present chairman of FTII and a BJP member, told IANS. The last GC meeting was held in January 2014, helmed by former chairperson and filmmaker Saeed Akhtar Mirza.Chauhan was appointed the chairman of FTII on June 9, 2015. His appointment triggered an indefinite strike by students of the institute on June 12. The students withdrew the strike in October after 139 days.

FTII students who went on strike on June 12 against the appointment of BJP's Gajendra Chauhan as its chairman on 28th October ended their strike but said protests against him will go on. The students of the Film and Television Institute of India here said they will be returning to their classes but continue to protest in a 'peaceful and democratic manner' against Chauhan.

The strike against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the Governing Council at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), is on its 134th day and the last meeting with Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of State for Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in New Delhi on October 20, failed to break the logjam. As it is increasingly getting clear that Chauhan is here to stay, we spoke to him to ask about his next course of action.<br /> <br /> Now that it is clear you will remain the chairman of the FTII governing council, what are your immediate plans?<br /> I am yet to get the date when I will be joining the institute. The appointment letter has been sent, but I am waiting for the date from the Ministry. As soon as I get that I will start work and aim at solving the issues at the earliest.The students seem adamant to continue with the protest. I want to appeal to all the students to end their strike. It has been way too long. And the students should understand that ultimately it is their and the institute&rsquo;s loss. Now, I have only one aim and that is the betterment of the institute.<br /> But you will need the governing council, whose appointments are also strongly objected by the students? I will need the team, students, faculty and everyone involved with the institute to improve it. But most importantly, I will need the help of the government to get things going. Meetings have to be lined up, the first FTII society meeting has to be held and several other issues need to be addressed.<br /> What are the first few things that you would like to do once you step in as the chairman? I want to look at several issues like the backlogs, administrative policies, faculty and upgrading of the institute. But for all this to happen, students need to end the strike first.<br /> If the students agree to meet you, what will you discuss? I have always expressed my willingness to meet the students. However, they have been insistent on meeting the Ministry. I want to tell them that they are ruining their future by continuing with the strike. Even I have a son who is of their age. I understand their mindset and would like them to call off the strike.<br /> Are you in touch with the other governing council members? Yes, we have been speaking about the issue for quite some time now. Once I take charge, it will be a team work of all of us and the government. We hope the strike is called off soon, so that I can form the governing council and start work.<br /> Students want the council to be passive&hellip; I have the power to perform even in difficult situations. I have always expressed my willingness to sit across the table and discuss things with them. I promise that they will be my best friends once I take charge. But I need to be given a chance for that. I will perform to my best of ability and efficiency.

After a string of meetings to solve the FTII row becoming inconclusive, a fifth meeting between officials of the information and broadcasting ministry and striking students is now to be held on October 20, a member of the students council said late on Thursday. Ranjit Nair, a member of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students' core committee, said the next meeting will be held on October 20, while the venue and time is yet to be decided upon. The students have been protesting against the appointment of actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the Pune-based premier institute. In the last meeting, which was held on October 10 in Mumbai, the information and broadcasting secretary had ensured a meeting with Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to take the negotiations forward.

Bharatiya Janata Party member and actor Gajendra Chauhan, who has been making headlines for being designated as FTII chairman, denies being appointed on March 4, 2014, as the letter of appointment given to him says June 9, 2015. According to a statement shared by RTI activist Anil Galgali, Chauhan was appointed as the chairman on June 9 this year, but the RTI reply states his appointment date as March 4, 2014. Chauhan says that there is a misunderstanding regarding his appointment. "The government was made in May 2014. How can the government appoint (me) in March 2014?" "I got the appointment letter on June 9, 2015 and the tenure they have counted from, ended last year. I received it in June 9, 2015 and the strike began in June 12, 2015," Chauhan told IANS. Replying to the accusation by Galgali that he has not visited the FTII office since his appointment, Chauhan said: "If there is no work happening there, how will a chairman join there?" "Also, the first society meeting has not taken place in which the chairman takes over. The moment the strike is over and all the issues are settled, I think that's when our first society meeting will take place and after that we will start with our work," he added. The students of the premier institute have been on strike for over 100 days, with four meetings between them and officials of the information and broadcasting ministry being inconclusive.

BJP member Gajendra Chauhan, whose credentials have been questioned by students and alumni of FTII to be the chairman of the prestigious institute, is yet to attend office since his appointment - of which there are two dates - says Right to Information (RTI) activist Anil Galgali. Galgali had sought information from the Pune-based Films and Television Institute of India (FTII) about its chairmen in the past 15 years, including their attendance and also the length of their term. According to a statement shared by Galgali, Chauhan was appointed as the chairman on June 9 this year, but the RTI reply states his appointment date as March 4, 2014. Whichever his date of appointment may be, he is yet to pay a visit to his office. In response to Galgali's querry, FTII administrative officer S.K. Dekate said nine chairmen have held the position since 1999. Writer-critic U.R. Ananthmurthy held the position for three terms over eight years, and attended office 26 times. Filmmaker Saeed Mirza was the chairman for three years, with an attendance record of 20. Actor-director Girish Karnad attended office six times during his one-year stint. Actor and BJP MP Vinod Khanna was appointed the chairman twice for two years but attended office only twice. Actor Pawan Chopra, who had the shortest term of three months, attended office for a single day and that too on his last day of his term on December 16, 2002. Galgali had also sought information about the educational qualifications and other eligibility details for the chairman's position. The students of the premier institute have been on strike for over 100 days, with four meetings between them and officials of the information and broadcasting ministry being inconclusive. The students are tentatively scheduled to meet Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in New Delhi on Tuesday.

FTII students on strike for over 100 days have told the government that the information and broadcasting ministry secretary can be the chairman of the prestigious film institute instead of actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan, informed sources said. The government, holding talks with the students of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), is expected to get back to the students during their next round of talks in Mumbai on October 7. The students and the government have so far held two meetings to end the dragging deadlock over the students' opposition to Chauhan. The difference of opinion on the chairman's role in the FTII is the bone of contention between the students and the government. According to the sources, the ministry feels that the FTII chairman plays a mere administrative role. The students believe the person holding the chair in FTII has immense power. They feel the ministry secretary fits all parameters. He is more suitable to be a facilitator between the government and the institute and also more qualified to hold the chairman's post. Such an appointment has a precedence in Anwar Jamal Kidwai and S.M.H. Burney, who held the post of the ministry secretary and chaired the FTII and its governing council in the 1970s. Sunil Arora, a 1980-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, is the current secretary in the ministry. Over 250 FTII students have been on strike for over some three months against the appointment of Chauhan, best known for essaying the eldest of the Pandava brothers in B.R. Chopra's "Mahabharat", as the FTII chairman.

Veteran actress-activist Shabana Azmi has said an individual's qualification should be the criteria for selection to key posts in cultural institutions like the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Azmi, a former student of the Pune-based institute, said FTII has the legacy of being headed by eminent personalities like Shyam Benegal and U R Ananthmurthy.

"BJP may want to put somebody of their own in a particular position. But qualification is something which we need to pay much more attention," she said during a recent interview to a Malayalam television channel. "We had persons of the quality of Shyam Benegal, U R Ananthmurthy and Mrinal Sen in FTII.

So, there has to be people with such qualifications," she said while replying to a question on recent controversies regarding the Centre's decision to appoint Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chief. The five-time National Award-winning actress also expressed concern over shrinking liberal space in the country. "I can see there is huge dissatisfaction with liberal space shrinking at the moment and people are very much upset about it.

We have a government which on one hand talks about very liberal things and on the other hand doing absolutely nothing to denounce those who are making retrograde remarks." On the fatwa issued by a Mumbai-based Muslim outfit against music maestro A R Rahman, Azmi said she strongly stands in solidarity with the Oscar winning musician.

But, the 65-year-old actress felt that the media should not have given prominence to such an act by a low-profile outfit. "I strongly stand in solidarity with Rahman in the issue. The outfit which issued the fatwa does not enjoy any weight within the community. So, I will urge media that do not jump into anything taking even things that are said by inconsequential people," she said. Azmi, known for her iconic performances in films like "Ankur", "Paar" and "Godmother", also recalled a fatwa issued against her by some fundamental groups for tonsuring her head for a movie, says PTI.

It&#39;s been 111 days that the students at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) have been on a strike, protesting against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, as the chairman of the Governing Council. On Tuesday, students of FTII finally got an audience with the Joint Secretary, Sanjay Murthy. However, even though the students are hopeful that the logjam will finally end, nothing substantial came out of the two-hour long meet. And while a fresh round of meetings are scheduled for today, students feel positive about this development.Vikas Urs, who was accompanied by Harishankar Nachimuthu, Ajayan Adat, Ranjit Nair, Reema Kaur and others, said, &quot;We put up our concerns with the Ministry on Tuesday. Our main issue was to take back the appointments that have been done in the past few years. We are hoping for a positive outcome on October 1.&quot; But not all the representatives who were part of the FD discussion are happy with the outcome. Harishankar, the president of the FTII student association said, &quot;There was nothing conclusive in Tuesday&#39;s meeting. We spoke to them for a couple of hours, but nothing new has come up yet. In fact, we have had such meetings several times before. We will be able to decipher only tomorrow (October 1) whether the strike is coming to a positive end.&quot; However, Nachimuthu agreed that positive and prompt dialogues have taken place in the past three days. Now that the government has finally relented and has agreed to have a dialogue with the students, the mood on the FTII campus has changed considerably. Students are hopeful that the Ministry will address the issues with an open mind. Rakesh Shukla, a student, said, &quot;Students have been quite happy since Tuesday, with the responses that they have received. We are also looking forward to an affirmative outcome of the meeting that will take place today. The strike must come to a positive end.&quot; <strong>I was also ready to meet the students and address their problems </strong><br /> <br /> Like I have always told everyone earlier, a much needed dialogue was required between the students and the Ministry. It is of course good that they are finally having a dialogue with each other, as it is the only solution. But, as far as my appointment goes, my date of joining the institute has not come in yet. Also, if the government asks me to resign, I will. Though, till now nothing has been conveyed to me yet. In fact, I was also ready to meet the students and address their problems. It is high time that they had a dialogue and resumed classes. &mdash; Gajendra Chauhan <strong>Meetings between the government and the FTII students in the past</strong><br /> July 3: The first meeting happened in New Delhi between Harishankar Nachimuthu, Vikas Urs, Reema Kaur, Resul Pookutty, Girish Kasaravalli and the Ministry. July 25: An unofficial meeting between the students body, Arun Jaitley and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathod was mediated by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani.<br /> Aug 6: After the protests in the capital, the Joint Secretary films, Sanjay Murthy, met the student representative for 10 minutes.<br /> Aug 19: A three-member team headed by Registrar of Newspapers in India S M Khan, Anshu Sinha, director (films) and S Naganathan, under secretary met the students on campus.

A meeting held here between the striking students of the FTII and officials of the ministry of information and broadcasting on September 29 on the simmering row over the appointment of a BJP functionary as the chairman of the premier film school remained inconclusive. While further talks have been guaranteed, the strike will also continue. Another meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, it was decided on the 110th day of the strike, which over 250 students began to protest actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan&#39;s appointment as chairman of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). &quot;The ministry (representatives) will come back on Thursday to further discuss on this issue. The government has given no assurance and neither have the students done so. The talks are still on. The strike is still on,&quot; FTII Students&#39; Association president Harishankar Nachimuthu told the media here post the meeting. &quot;There is no difference (progress) between (since) the last meeting and today&#39;s meeting,&rdquo; Nachimuthu said, adding the ministry officials&quot; heard out the concerns in more detail&quot;. He also hoped that a &quot;decision can be arrived at on Thursday&quot;.

FTII students on Sunday called off their relay hunger strike after the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry agreed to have a dialogue with them on September 29. However, this does not mean their strike would end, they said. "We are calling off the hunger strike since the government is willing to talk on September 29. But the strike remains until a positive result comes from their end," students' president Harishankar Nachimuthu and core committee member Ranjit Nair confirmed to IANS. Over 250 students of the Film and Television Institute of India have been on a strike for over 100 days over the appointment of actor and Bharatiya Janata Party member Gajendra Chauhan as chairman. The students find the credentials of the actor -- best known for essaying 'Yudhisthir' in B.R. Chopra's "Mahabharat" -- questionable. Till now, neither the students, Chauhan nor the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry were arriving at even the framework of a concrete solution. But now there seems to be a ray of hope. The FTII, the country's premier film institute which was established in 1960, has produced the likes of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Jahnu Barua, Shabana Azmi and Om Puri.

Students from various city-based education establishments participated in a token hunger strike on 14th September in solidarity with the agitating students of Pune's Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) who have been on a fast since September 10. Students of the Jadavpur University (JU), Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Presidency University and Calcutta Medical College have launched a six-hour long hunger strike at the JU campus. They have urged performance artists, painters, musicians to join in. The FTII students are protesting the appointment of BJP member and actor Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the prestigious institute. The students went on hunger strike on September 10, appealing the government to come up with a solution of the deadlock. They claim that Chauhan lacks credentials for the post of the chairman and that his appointment was politically motivated.

Renowned Bollywood filmmakers Farhan Akhtar and Subhash Ghai have supported the students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), saying their issues must be addressed. "It's important to arrive at conclusion because FTII is a reputed institute since years. We want students to study happily which is very important. It's important that their concerns be addressed," Farhan said. He visited Ghai's film institute on 11th September to deliver a lecture. Subhash Ghai, an FTII alumni, said "FTII is my mother institute and I've seen it growing. It has given the best talent and you feel pained when you see such failures in an institute like this." "It's important for the students to be happy, particularly since they're a creative community. They're thinkers and ideators. It's very important for us to look at them with a different perspective than any ordinary college or institution," he added. The students are protesting the appointment of BJP member and actor Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the FTII. The students went on hunger strike on 10th September, appealing the government to come up with a solution of the deadlock. They claim that Chauhan lacked credentials for the post of the chairman and that his appointment was politically-motivated. The strike entered its 93rd day on 12th September.

The logjam in FTII Pune looks a long way from resolution. Three months into the protest against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the institute&#39;s director, students are frustrated and disillui ioned. And they have enough reasons to feel o, says director Indranil Roychowdhury .<br /> <br /> Thus, the stalwarts of Indian cinema has taken it upon them elves to intervene and directly approach the president for a solu ion, through a signed petition.. Said Indranil, &ldquo;Three weeks ago, the I&amp;B ministry had sent a committee to FTII in order to communicate with the students and announce a clear way forward.Even though the committee prom sed to come up with a solution within two days, three weeks have passed since then without any formal announcement from their side.<br /> Instead, individual students have been approached by them in a surreptitious manner and there have been efforts of cornering, nfluencing and harassing them. Several of hem have been called up by the cops and ntimidated. The government is behaving like an underground organization, trying to pester the students into giving in by engaging in divide and rule policy .&ldquo; The petition, signed by more than 170 eminent film personalities from mainstream, regional and docu cinema communities, including National Award winners, is aimed at convincing the president to intervene personally. While the students have gone on hunger strike demanding trans parency in the appointment proce dure of the council, more and more signatories are joining in to lend their support. &ldquo;In fact, even Rajkumar Hirani has declined to take on the role of FTII chief in an act of defiance. It is also significant to note that Vidya Balan, who was made a part of the FTII council by the ministry , has come on board and signed the petition to the pres ident,&ldquo; informed Indranil. Other signatories include names like Mani Ratnam, Santosh Sivan, Revathi, Aparna Sen, Dibakar Bannerjee, Jahnu Barua, Arun Khopkar, Anand Patwardhan, Shaji Karun, Saeed Mirza, Kundan Shah, Buddhadeb Dasgupta, TV Chandran, Girish Kasarvalli, Resul Pookutty and Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed, without giving any reason, a PIL seeking direction for the FTII students to end their three-month-long agitation against naming Gajendra Chauhan as the institute's direction and for transparent policies for the appointment. A bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu dismissed the PIL after letting advocate J.P. Dhanda argue for about 10 minutes without seeking any clarification. The petition said various parties were trying to gain political mileage by exploiting the sentiments of students of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) without any concern for their career. It also sought a directive to the central government to frame transparent policies for the appointment of chairpersons of such institutions and the students to end their strike. The government has rejected the students' demand for replacing Chauhan with a prominent personality as FTII chief. The bench also dismissed another PIL for ensuring smooth and orderly functioning of parliament.

Protests at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) have intensified as the students are now mulling over the idea of going on a hunger strike at the campus, if the government does not take any action to end the logjam. The decision of the students has been prompted by the fact that the government is yet to communicate the result of the report submitted to the I&B Ministry. In fact, Abhijit Das, a faculty member of FTII has been on an indefinite hunger strike since Saturday, over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairperson of the Governing Council and the government's apathy towards the issue. Joining him now will be the students at the FTII campus, because they feel that this is perhaps, their last chance to make themselves heard. (inputs by Swasti Chatterjee)

A three-member information and broadcasting ministry team on Friday held talks with all stakeholders of Film and Television Institute of India, where students have been protesting for nearly three months against Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as the institute's chairman. The committee comprised Registrar of Newspapers of India's S.M. Khan, I&B ministry's joint secretary S. Naganathan and director, Films, Anshu Shukla. A team official said they had "very satisfactory discussions" with all the stakeholders and were apprised of all the issues at the FTII. "We had very positive discussions with all concerned. We are hopeful that an amicable solution will come out," Khan told media persons later. "We shall now submit a report to the ministry by Monday and further decisions will be taken accordingly," Khan said. Shortly after their arrival at the FTII campus here, they met representatives of the staff association, followed by the faculties of the TV Wing and Film Wing. Later, they held discussions with students representatives and the FTII Alumni Association, which have been spearheading the agitation against the appointment of television personality Chauhan as FTII chairman. "We are happy that the team has arrived and listened to our problems... We are hopeful of an amicable solution to the pending issues," a student leader told media persons. The central team's arrival resulted in easing of tensions on the FTII campus after a nocturnal swoop by the police on the campus and the arrest of five students on Wednesday. Those arrested were sent to judicial custody till September 1, but later granted bail on a bond of Rs.3,000 each. The police action followed a complaint by FTII director Prashant Pathrabe who said he was illegally confined in his office for eight hours on Monday by around 40-50 students. Later, police protection and private security was deployed on the campus, which was removed on Friday. (Source: IANS)

A three-member delegation of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is at the FTII campus here today to hold discussions with the faculty, director and agitating students to find a solution to the crisis triggered by the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan at its chairman. The team led by S M Khan, which reached the city last night, said they are optimistic of an early solution to the face-off leading to the now 71-day-old strike. "We have come with an open mind and will be talking to the faculty members, the director and the students" Khan told reporters here. Meanwhile, the Film and Television Institute of India's (FTII) Director Prashant Pathrabe denied rumours that he had proceeded on leave following the Tuesday night's police crackdown on students who had gheraoed him and subsequent arrest of five protestors. The FTII Students' Association (FSA) had yesterday denied Pathrabe's claim that he was 'tortured'during the prolonged gherao at his office on Monday evening. Besides, over 60 visiting faculty members, in a letter to the I and B Ministry, had urged the government to shun 'highhanded and confrontationist' view of the strike and adopt a pragmatic and honourable approach to find a solution. The striking students have questioned Chauhan's 'credentials' to head the premiere institute. They have also objected to the director's decision to conduct assessment of incomplete diploma film projects, now put on hold. The students had yesterday also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention into the matter.

The Teachers Association of the Film and Television Institute of India on 20th August condemned the arrest of protesting students, saying the current problems could have been easily solved if police had handled the case differently. "We condemn the manner in which students were picked up by police. If the matter would have been handled a little differently, then the problem could have been solved" Kedarnath Awati, president of FTII's Teacher's Association, said in a statement. Five FTII students were arrested in Pune for illegal confinement after they 'gheraoed'; the institute's director Prashant Pathrabe. The students have been protesting for over two months, demanding the removal of the facility's newly appointed chairman Gajendra Chauhan.

While students of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) continue their protest against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as its chairman, National Award-winning filmmaker Sudhir Mishra has suggested the names of eminent directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rajkumar Hirani and David Dhawan, who he thinks deserves the position more than Chauhan. Mishra took to micro-blogging site Twitter on Thursday to express his concern for the FTII students, who have been protesting for over two months now.

In another post, Mishra, who has directed films like 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi', 'Yeh Saali Zindagi'; and'Main Zinda Hoon', condemned the government's decision to arrest five students on charges of rioting and more in a post-midnight swoop on Tuesday. He wrote: "What's this down with left liberal crap going on with regard to FTII. All the students want is a great film artiste. "What message are you sending to the youth of this country by arresting the FTII students. That they have no role in governing their lives! I think both the government and students should agree to a three-man committee headed by Shyam Bengali who should restructure."

The ministry of information and broadcasting has formed a three-member committee that will visit the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on August 21 to assess the situation and interact with the students. The committee will also look into the agenda for the assessment of the projects of the 2008 batch of students, FTII director Prashant Pathrabe said on 19th August. Pathrabe said that a group of students kept him in illegal confinement for 8-10 hours and vandalised his office, forcing him to lodge a police complaint. Post midnight, police arrested five FTII students from the campus for rioting, damaging property and other charges. The students have been protesting for over two months against the appointment of actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Gajendra Chauhan as chairman of the FTII. On April 27 last year, the FTII Academic Council decided on an 'as is where is' or 'pro rata assessment' of 2008 batch's pending projects since the students had been repeatedly given time to comply. Later, the audit team raised objections by saying that despite two zero years and extension of the course, the projects remained incomplete, adding to the backlog. Accordingly, the FTII decided to initiate action, starting with the oldest batch of 2008 which had 49 students. After the developments of recent days, the assessment decision has been put on hold, Pathrabe said. Meanwhile, the students have threatened to agitate further against the police action and the arrest of five students. Many students alleged that the police action was meant to break the students'; strike going on since June opposing the appointment of television actor Gajendra Chauhan.

FTII director Prashant Pathrabe on 19th August said that he was forced to file an FIR against the agitating students as they vandalised his office and pushed him around. "They forcefully entered and vandalised my office. I was also pushed around", Pathrabe told the media here. "It was a serious incident", Pathrabe said, adding he then filed an FIR at around 9.30 p.m. on 18th August and the police came to the campus an hour later. The Film and Television Institute of India director said there were 40-50 students who entered his office as they were not happy with a pro-rata course project assessment of the 2008 batch. Asked why he approached the police at night, he said he was not well earlier. "I was not well (during the day)." Post midnight, police arrested five students of the FTII from the campus for rioting, damaging properties and other charges. For over two months, the students have been protesting against the appointment of actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as chairman of the FTII.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on 19th August criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the arrest of agitating FTII students, and said the students are not criminals. "Protesting FTII students arrested in midnight crackdown. Our students are not criminals. Silence, Suspend, Arrest: Modi Mantra for Achhe Din," Gandhi tweeted.

Protesting #FTII students arrested in #midnightcrackdown.Our students are not criminals Modiji.Silence.Suspend.Arrest:ModiMantra for AcheDin ampmdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 19, 2015

In a post-midnight swoop, Maharashtra Police arrested five students of Film and Television Institute of India from their campus for rioting, damaging properties and other charges. The arrests came after a group of striking students confined FTII Director Prashant Pathrabe and other staffers in his office for eight hours, and vandalised office furniture and fittings.

#FTII students mid-night arrest. SAD!!! ampmdash; Nikhil Advani (@nickadvani) August 19, 2015

Never seen a govt. fall so low, so quick. Family-packs of lies being sold as achievements, while freedom is crushed daily. #JaiHind #FTII ampmdash; VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) August 18, 2015

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on 19th August offered the agitating students of Pune-based FTII 'temporary space' here to run classes till their demands are met. In a series of tweets, Kejriwal expressed his shock after Maharashtra Police arrested five students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) from their campus for rioting on 18th August. Kejriwal said "I am shocked to hear of what is going on at FTII. An internationally reputed institute being systematically destroyed by government's wrong decisions." "My offer to FTII students - Delhi government can provide you temporary space in Delhi. Run your classes here till central government agrees," he said. Kejriwal said that "if finally, the central government doesn't agree, we'll convert this place into full fledged institute and students can continue studying here only". For over two months, the students have been opposing the appointment of BJP member and TV actor Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chairman. Tuesday's arrests came after a group of striking students confined FTII Director Prashant Pathrabe and other staffers in his office for eight hours and vandalised office furniture and fittings, according to officials.

Police today stormed the premises of FTII on 18th August to disperse a group of striking students who had gheraoed director Prashant Pathrabe, protesting against 'irrational and unjustified' assessment of the incomplete diploma projects. Tension prevailed in the campus as about 40 students gheraoed Pathrabe in his office this evening, refusing to leave unless he gave a 'rational' explanation for the ongoing assessment by the faculty of the incomplete films made by the 2008 batch. When contacted, Pathrabe had told PTI earlier in the evening that he had been gheraoed by the students, but was 'safe'. A students' representative said they had 'stopped' the director in his office since he had 'decided to go on with unfair assessment of the incomplete film projects'. The FTII Students' Association (FSA) has alleged that the assessment was politically motivated and aimed at getting rid of about 50 inmates belonging to the 2008 batch on the ground of "overstaying" due to incomplete projects. The students, according to a communication from the association, tried to contact I&B ministry's joint secretary to seek his intervention but received no response. Pathrabe has maintained that he was following the ministry's dictates in going ahead with the assessment. Police were called by the Film and Television Institute of India registrar at around 11 pm as the students refused to end the gherao. It was not yet clear as to what action police had taken and whether the gherao had ended. The strike by FTII students against the appointment of BJP member and TV actor Gajendra Chauhan as chairman of FTII society entered 68th day today.