Solidarity with FTII: Protesters detained after students raise anti Modi slogans

By Ishan Kukreti

Delhi Police detained protesters agitating against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as Film and Television Institute of India's (FTII) chairman in front of Shastri Bhavan today. Protesters at 'Stand in solidarity with FTII students' saw the rough side of law after slogans urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act judiciously were raised.

The highly agitated protesters, who had gathered to show support to the students of FTII were sent packing to the Parliament Street police station.

The frustration and a sense of wrong being done to them was evident in the eyes of students, who raised passionate slogans against Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitly, Narendra Modi and the general saffronization of educational institutes that's been going in the country lately.

The solidarity protest was supposed to start at 2 PM. However, after starting at 2:15 PM it could not last for more than 20 minutes. The police forced the demonstrators into buses to be sent to the police station.

ACP Ved Bhushan told NewsGram that the protesters had not received permission for carrying out the demonstration and hence the police had to intervene.

A delegation from FTII including ex-chairman Saeed Mirza, Resul Pookutty and members of student bodies from FTII, JNU and NSD will be meeting Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitely today at National Informatics Center.

FTII students along with other student bodies of the country have been protesting against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the premier film making institute of the country.

The students are demanding Chauhan's removal as FTII's chairman citing professional and artistic incompetence as the reason.

"Films can lead to propaganda and that is the whole point behind this protest. See, we are supposed to be political film makers, but we don't want to stay in a place with a political bias." an alumnus of FTII, Saumik Bhattacharya told NewsGram