5 FTII students arrested around midnight, Kejriwal offers support

At midnight, five FTII students were arrested after the institution's director, Prashant Pathrabe filed a complaint against them for detaining him in campus on Monday.

"This is unacceptable. The students are our responsibility. I am surprised no one from the administration is here. The action is not justified at all," Sandip Chatterjee, faculty member and acting dean at the Film and Television Institute of India.

The FIR names around 25-30 people, including girls. Some of the names were not spelled properly and hence their arrest didn't take place. The arrested students shall be produced in court today.

"We are surprised at the government's insensitivity. Look at the timing. Why should students be arrested in the middle of the night?" an FTII student said.

The students are booked under sections 143, 147, 149, 323, 341, 353, 506 of Indian Penal Code and Section 3 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

Pathrabe claims that on Monday, he had called a meeting to discuss the issue of assessment of file projects of 2008 batch. Soon 50 students started to shout at him and demanded that he change the decision to carry out the assessment. And when he tried to leave his office, allegedly, the students mishandled him and mentally harassed him by challenging his candidature as the Director of FTII.

The midnight arrest has escalated the 'FTII Mahabharata'. Arvind Kejriwal blew a wind of relief in this impasse by stating that the Delhi govt. can provide a temporary space to run classes till the time an agreement is sought.