Everything that is wrong with how the FTII students' movement is being handled

The midnight arrests at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, have aggravated the already taut atmosphere in the campus. The student strike has breached the 70-day mark, and neither side — the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the striking students — is willing to relinquish its stand. What’s scary is the manner of the crackdown in a hallowed educational institute. The police, armed with an FIR lodged by the FTII director Prashant Pathrabe around 9pm on Tuesday, knock on hostel doors in the dead of night, dragging young men out of the rooms to take them to the police station — a treatment usually reserved for hardened criminals. Though all the students named in the FIR had been granted bail on Wednesday, it is a grim reminder that law-enforcers can go to an extreme if they have the backing of the authorities. Even students, whose crime was confining Pathrabe to his office for seven hours on Monday for a peaceful discussion, wouldn’t be spared. It is only when the police entered the director’s chamber to rescue him that a scuffle ensued. Hence the charge of vandalism in the FIR seems a bit too harsh. 

In the ongoing impasse, students will be the biggest losers. They aren’t attending classes, lagging far behind in the academic schedule, and the delay will jeopardise their careers. Yet they are staking their future for a demand that can hardly be called unjust. Pathrabe’s attempt at initiating reforms — asking the 2008 batch, who are the forefront of the agitation, to submit incomplete projects for final-year assessment — wasn’t backed by the faculty. It also comes at a time when the agitators are locked in a bitter struggle with the I&B ministry over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan at the top post of the institute. 

It is clear to all the stakeholders, even the BJP-led Centre, that Chauhan was a bad choice. But, instead of making amends, the ruling party has resorted to repression. Political appointments to top educational institutes in the country is an age-old practice, indulged by the Left, Right and Centre of the political spectrum. In the process, the credibility of such institutions and offices has been eroded. 

The film world is in the throes of change, and FTII seems least equipped to handle the challenges posed by technological advances. There are critical infrastructural issues, which should have been looked at long back. But, successive governments, including the UPA and NDA, haven’t shown any inclination to transform FTII into a world class institute. Though many claim that the standards in FTII have fallen, they should do well to delve into the history of the past 10 years, which is replete with instances of students making significant contributions in the sphere of cinema that have translated into national and international awards. By holding onto their resolve to install Chouhan, the BJP would be doing grave damage to an already ailing institute. 

There is still scope of settling the issue amicably, if the warring sides show restraint and an open mind. The government’s priorities should be defined by the commitment to excellence — where all appointments at the top echelons of FTII and other educational institutions are based on merit and competence. That would be one of the most effective ways to silence the BJP’s detractors. More importantly, it would be a unique way of encouraging the government’s Make-in-India campaign and the emphasis on soft power. It would do India proud to showcase to the world that the country encourages talent and the spirit of entrepreneurship — untainted by the stigma of partisanship.