FTII celebrates return of Neetu,‘victory of truth’

“I met her in the morning and I feel it is her as well as the students’ triumph,” said Tathagata Singha,another student and Neetu’s friend.

Naveen Padmanabha,general secretary of the FTII students’ association,said: “We are happy that she is free — free from the marriage that troubled her and affected her creativity,from the legalities that kept her occupied and of course from the trauma that she went through. She will be continuing with the projects she left midway.”

Gloria Koshy,matron of the girls’ hostel,said she was very happy that Neetu was back.

It also means that students no longer have to make countless rounds of police stations. “When the police picked her up,we were angry. But we’re happy to have directed our anger in the right direction. There were days when we would return without any progress in the case.”

Kiran Moghe,state president of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) who drove with Neetu from Mumbai to Pune on Sunday,said: “This is a proof of the fact that truth prevails after collective effort. The reward for us is that Neetu completes her diploma and pursues the dream she had come to FTII with.”

Neetu was deported to Nepal on charges of “anti-India activities”,allegedly at the behest of her husband,who is an influential Nepali politician. They have filed for divorce.