FTII alumni join students in their protests against appointment of Gajendra Chouhan as chairman

Thursday : There is no end to protests at India's premier film school Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune over the appointment of actor Gajendra Chouhan as the institute's chairman. The protests are continuing despite the Information and Broadcasting Ministry expressing its willingness to hold talks.

The alumni of the institute have also joined the protesting students in their agitation. The students are sticking to their demand for revoking the appointment of Chauhan as the Chairman of FTII's governing council.

FTII alumni and Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan said that the students demand a person who has a larger vision for the institute as their chairman.

"I was in the institute yesterday. There was a letter from the ministry to have a dialogue and end this strike. What I think is that the students are not fighting for themselves, they are not saying they want to choose someone, they are just saying choose a fitting person who has a larger vision for the institute" Raghavan said.

Concerned over students' education getting disrupted, another alumni and filmmaker Santosh Sivan said, "Graffiti, which is a group of former students of FTII is having a meeting today. We are working at coming up with something that could help the students and end this strike as it is harming their education."

Chauhan who is known for his role as Yudhisthira in the teleserial "Mahabharat" said he was falling victim to the "preconceived notions" of the students about his reel life which he claimed is different from his real life.

Chauhan, also a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been accused of being a follower of Asaram, evident from a youtube video that shows him dancing with the religious leader.

Targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, leader Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, who visited the institute and supported the students, alleged that the NDA government does not understand the word 'autonomy' and this is not the first institution where "autonomy is being eroded" by it.