By NewsGram Staff Writer

FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) students gheraoed Prashant Patharbe- FTII director- in his office on Monday, demanding explanations on the assessment of incomplete diploma film projects of the 2008 batch.

According to a PTI report, Patharbe had confirmed that he was gheraoed by the students; however, he was safe.

Patharbe had called the police in order to disperse the protesting students. According to a report in DNA, the police manhandled the students in a bid to get them out of the cabin.

The students were perturbed at the assessment of diploma film projects of the 2008 batch which were incomplete owing to the absence of audiography and editing, alleged FSA (FTII Students' association). They also said the move on the director's part was politically motivated in an attempt at removing 50 inmates of the 2008 FTII batch on charges of overstaying due to incomplete projects.

As conveyed to the students by the director, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting wanted the assessment to take place despite the ongoing protest on Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as the chairperson of the institute.

"The director had suggested the students to talk to the Joint secretary( Information and Broadcasting) directly, however the officials refuse to take our calls," FSA representative Ranjit Nair told DNA.