Pune: In a midnight crackdown, police arrested five students of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) from its campus on charges of rioting.
They were arrested for rioting and other offences in connection with the gherao of director Prashant Pathrabe.
The students who have been on strike for the last 69 days against appointment of BJP member and TV actor Gajendra Chauhan as the institute chairman, had gheraoed Pathrabe on Monday evening, challenging his decision to go ahead with the assessment of the incomplete diploma film projects of the 2008 batch.
The director had remained confined in his office cabin for over six hours.
Those arrested included the FTII Students’ Association (FSA) representative Vikas Urs.
“FIRs have been filed against 15 students out of which five have been arrested,” DCP T Tushar Doshi told PTI.
The accused students have been charged under various sections of IPC including 143, 147, 149, 323, 353, 506 etc. dealing with offences some of them non-bailable related to unlawful assembly, criminal intimidation and rioting.
The FIR filed on a complaint by Pathrabe stated that the accused obstructed and wrongfully restrained him after office hours and mentally harassed him questioning about the assessment work. The students are also charged with vandalising the director’s office and damaging glass panes, computer and table.
The students have termed Pathrabe’s decision to conduct the assessment of incomplete film projects as “unjust, unfair and unjustified” without approval of the academic council of FTII and aimed at weakening the current protest.
B-Town condemns arrest of FTII students
Bollywood celebrities Shekhar Kapur, Rajat Kapoor, Hansal Mehta and Resul Pookutty criticised the arrest of the students.
There was a time #FTII was considered one of the best film schools in Asia and produced some brilliant talent. What happened?
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) August 18, 2015
Police arrive in the middle of the night at #FTII , arrest 40 students.So are they really anti nationals?!or are Police implementing orders
— resul pookutty (@resulp) August 18, 2015
Its shocking that the government can not find the right person with the right vision for FTII- they'd rather let it develop into this mess!
— Rajat Kapoor (@mrrajatkapoor) August 18, 2015
Kejriwal offers temporary space
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal showed his solidarity to the striking FTII students and offered them temporary space in Delhi to run their classes.
Am shocked to hear whats gng on at FTII. An internationally reputed institute being systematically destroyed by govt's wrong decisions(1/3)
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 19, 2015
My offer to FTII students- Del govt can provide u temp space in Del. Run ur classes here till central govt agrees(2/3)
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 19, 2015
If finally, central govt doesn't agree, we'll convert this place into full fledged institute n students can continue studying here only(3/3)
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 19, 2015