Finally the
agitating Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students called off
their ‘17 day long
!’ hunger strike . However,their
primary agitation against Gajendra Chauhan and the appointments of Sangh
Parivar members in the FTII would go on. This was clarified by the students
after the Information and Broadcasting (I & B) Ministry agreed to hold
fresh talks. Paradoxically, student’s frequently changing stance and demands
have brought this agitation back to square one.
 |
| Photo courtsey hindustantimes.com |
Looking back on
their 108 day long
agitation and “17 day long
Hunger strike!’, it is now clear that the students don’t want to end their
agitation. Actually, the students and the government had arrived at a
settlement and an understanding on 25th
July 2015 itself
when the students along with the interlocutors Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Raju
Hirani met with the Ministers.
However, the
students resiled on their commitments made to interlocutors also. The
Government in its several letters has alleged that students frequently changed
their stance and made factually incorrect averments in communications.
Students do not
want Government to have any references / preconditions, especially to
and in the meeting held on 25-07-2015
in the presence of the interlocutors Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Shri Raju Hirani.
In fact,through one of the letters they had clarified to the ministry that
the student representatives never gave any kind of commitments to the
interlocutors to reside on them later in any capacity .
In the nutshell
students want the government to have talks with them afresh without any
preconditions. There are two reasons why students don’t want any pre-conditions
before any talks.
Firstly,the
main intention of the strike was the assessment of incomplete projects. Whentheacademic
council of FTII decided that when delays to complete projects are caused
without any valid reasons, the project even though incomplete, will be stopped
within the time frame and assessment will be done accordingly on as-is-where-is
basis. Students were opposing that decision but there was no reason they could start
an agitation because several students haven’t completed their projects
for years together which they should have completed within three months.
Meanwhile ,
the Government reconstituted FTII and appointed Gajendra Chauhan and other
members on it. No doubt these appointments were politically motivated but
studentsfound this as an excuse to agitate. And obviously Modi critics
supported the students. However this support was for the appointments only and
not for the students original ‘assessment’ cause. This support was so
overwhelming that the students also forgot their original aim of theagitation.
However with time, every body concentrated on issuesother than assessments
and that is the reason students don’t want any preconditions beforethe talks.
This is because if talks continue on the
basis of discussions held on 25th
July then the “assessment issue will not be discussed.
Additionally,
the students have no worry about their
lodging and boarding. They can get money to run their
agitation or day-to-day expenses from institute as and when required.
Yes, it is true. After students started agitation on 12th June, one agitating
student submitted a bill of rupees 30,000/- as reimbursement of expenses towards
the purchase of photo frames. Such frames are available in market maximum at
the cost of Rs.100 to 200. However the student
charged Rs. 3000 per
frame. The bill was approved and signed by all the authorities on 16th June and cleared on the
same day. The receipt submitted doesn’t bear the name of the purchaser.
Absurdly, the bill was ssanctioned as contingency without reason. The HoD
concerned who approved this suspicious
bill has generously sanctioned Rs. 25000 instead of 30,000. This student hasn’t
submitted accounts or returned the money
taken earlier.
This is just one example but shows how money is being siphoned off from the institute with help of the authorities and shows how authorities are sponsoring the agitation with 'artistes' in tow. For some people FTII has become money minting machine and hence everybody wants control over it.
This is just one example but shows how money is being siphoned off from the institute with help of the authorities and shows how authorities are sponsoring the agitation with 'artistes' in tow. For some people FTII has become money minting machine and hence everybody wants control over it.
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