Students of FTII unite for parallel festival

Demanding that State government should ensure safety of students, the former and current students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on Monday said they were living in a traumatic state fearing khaki brutality any time, anywhere during the ongoing global Film Festival of India (IFFI).

“They should not protest in Goa as the issue is not linked to the local government”.

The CM added that the students should not have brought the agitation to Goa as the state had “nothing to do” with it. “If the students have grievances, they must go to the authorities concerned”. Parsekar was asked about the action initiated against the protesting students and sympathisers who have been slapped with severe sections including criminal conspiracy. Parsekar also rejected claims that there were instructions issued to the police to be especially harsh on the students.

He expressed concern over the future of film industry when the authorities have started suppressing the voice of student community, who are the future filmmakers. An alumnus of FTII, Prateek Vats, said they chose to hold an alternative film fest as a section in the IFFI that exclusively catered to films made by students was done away by the organizers this year. The students, however, called off their strike unilaterally on October 29, but insisted that their protests would continue.

While police force was kept ready outside the venue along with a police van, Mirza was personally present to watch the parallel film festival organised by the protesting students of Film and Television Institute of India.

Two FTII students were arrested on Friday while they displayed placards at the IFFI inaugural venue while another was detained on Saturday for over 10 hours for wearing a T-shirt with the institute’s name at the IFFI venue.