Bouncers 'protect' FTII director

PUNE: The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) administration engaged the services of four bouncers on Wednesday, minutes before the institute's director Prashant Pathrabe held a press conference where he said he was "mentally tortured". This is the third security layer for the director, whose battery of private security guards was recently beefed up and who has police presence and patrolling on campus from morning to evening.
Students and faculty found the additional security "strange" and "dramatic". Director Prashant Pathrabe said he was unaware of who hired the bouncers. Pathrabe had said on Wednesday that the scuffle on Monday night had started after the police was called in.
Sources in the FTII administration said, "We do not think police protection is enough. So, extra security was hired." The decision to hire bouncers was taken after consultations with the ministry of information and broadcasting officials.
On Thursday, Pathrabe moved around the campus escorted by four security guards and two bouncers. The security in-charge of FTII was also part of Pathrabe's entourage.
An I&B ministry official told TOI the registrar U C Bodake wanted extra protection for himself as well as the director. "If you see how we were questioned by the students, you will realize that we feel the threat," Bodake said. A bouncer was stationed outside Bodake's office on Thursday, and keeping a watch on people walking in and out of his office.
TOI spoke to the bouncer who said, "Four of us have been hired and ordered to protect the director and registrar."
The I&B official said extra security cover was also allowed to ensure there was no commotion on the campus before the ministry's delegation visited it.
Deputy commissioner of police (Zone 1) Tushar Doshi said there is police bandobast on the campus during the day following a request from the director a few days ago.
Faculty members wondered why the security cover was needed. "We fail to understand the need for such security. The director never spoke to us and students have never resorted to violence. He gave wrong statements and is unnecessarily giving colour to the issue at hand. He should be responsible enough to deal with this situation calmly and not make us and students uncomfortable," said Sandeep Chatterjee, acting dean (films) at FTII.
Students said: "The director and registrar are our guardians here. The video we submitted in the court shows we were never violent. They abandoned us when the police came to arrest us. In the presence of such an administration, it is the students who feel threatened," said Arun Kumar R, a 2011-batch student of sound engineering and design.
"Hiring bouncers is totally dramatic. We were trying to question his sensibility and he instead put us through so much harassment. Instead of reassuring students, he fortified himself," said another student.
Students later released a statement on Thursday stating that while students had repeatedly questioned Pathrabe, all efforts were made to make him feel comfortable with numerous tea and vada pav breaks. "It was only when the police arrived, at a time when there was no reason for them to, that the situation escalated. Even then, despite the scuffle that broke out thereon, no FTII student engaged in any act of violence towards the director or to the police that was aggressively manhandling them."