Pune--FTII students’ protest continued for the third day today against the appointment of TV actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as the new chairman of its governing council.
After Friday’s flash strike boycotting classes, about 150 students gathered on the campus today to gather support for their agitation. They also raised slogans and displayed placards condemning Chauhan’s appointment.
Alluding to the BJP affiliation of Chauhan, one of the posters put at the gate of FTII said: “Mr Modi we don’t want your puppet”.
Earlier, they had demanded the appointment of Chauhan be revoked, calling it a “political appointment”.
However, Chauhan, who played the role of ‘Yudhishthir’ in popular television serial “Mahabharat”, told PTI today that he would try to discuss the matter with the students.
FTII students’ association president Harishankar Nachiputhu said, “It is extremely sad that rather than enhancing stature of the institution, the government is trying to undermine its autonomy by partisan appointments of people with no merit.”
He urged the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to “reconsider the appointment of Chauhan and also relook at the process of constituting FTII society and its members.”
The students’ association, in a statement, also claimed that Chauhan lacked academic, administrative and artistic credentials in the field of film education.
The students’ association said their protest will continue till they get a positive response to the issues raised by them from the authorities, canceling Chauhan’s appointment.
INDIAN EXPRESS
