What’s happening in FTII can happen to us too: MU students

WATCH VIDEO: BJP Seeking A Face Saver In The FTII Row; Will Gajendra Chauhan Be Eased Out?

[App users click here to see video]

“We were supposed to have a meeting with the FTII students Thursday at 3 pm. But then they were suddenly arrested happened and we staged this protest instead. We are against both police repression and the appointment of unworthy people in the FTII society,” said Narayan Kharade, a member of University Community for Democracy and Equality(UCDE), an organisation formed by the students of MU. In the past two months, the FTII students have garnered the support of TISS and IIT, Bombay students.

[related-post]

The protesters said that the FTII crisis indicates a larger problem of a threat to institutional autonomy.

“What is happening in FTII can happen to us too. Such politically-motivated appointments have an especially negative impact on creative institutes that teach art and culture,” said Pushkar Sarad, a second year student of the Academy of Theatre Arts under the university. Some, like Madhubanti Mitra, a second year student of electronic media and communication, drew parallels between the FTII crackdown and the unrest at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, last year.

“Even though the current strength of FTII students is 180, the issue has struck a chord with the entire country as it raises questions about autonomy of academic institutions and the country’s secular culture. The government should consult the students and resolve the problem,” said Feroze Mithiborwala, president, Bharat Bachao Andolan.