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Police have identified 18 more students from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in connection with the alleged “gherao” and “illegal confinement” of the institute’s director Prashant Pathrabe last year and issued them notices to present themselves before court on 14 March.
However, the FTII Students’ Association (FSA) has dubbed the police action as “arm-twisting” tactics by the administration. With this, the total number of students named in the case has reached to 35, as 17 students were identified earlier. Out of those 17, five were arrested while 12 others are out on anticipatory bail.
The FTII students, who were on strike for 139 days since June against the appointment of BJP member and TV actor Gajendra Chauhan as its chairman, had allegedly gheraoed and confined Pathrabe at his office on August 17. The incident had led to police swooping-in on the campus on the intervening night of August 18-19, and arresting five students.
Meanwhile, the FSA has condemned the police action.
The students’ body further said the police action has come at a time when the Screenplay batch of 2013 and Film batch of 2008 are finishing their course and would be leaving the campus.
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