Arun Jaitley requests FTII students to end strike

NEW DELHI: As the protest by students of FTII entered the fifth day on Tuesday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has written to them urging them to call off their strike and discuss their concerns with the ministry. The students have been protesting against the appointment of BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as the FTII chairman, alleging politicisation of the institute.

In a letter approved by minister Arun Jaitley, the ministry has said that keeping the careers of the students in mind, it was important that the students get back to classes. The ministry, which plans to send a team of its representatives to FTII soon, would be happy to start a dialogue with the students and solve issues amicably, an official said.

In an hour long meeting with I&B officials on Tuesday morning, Jaitley is said to have discussed this issue at length. The minister has also floated the idea of film personalities coming forward and running FTII in a collaborative way. “We have conveyed to the students that their progress is on the top of our minds and we can sort out the problems through meetings.

Protests and boycott of classes would only damage their careers,” an official said. The FTII students’ association had sent a communication to I&B Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday on their demands through FTII Director D Narain, after failing to get a positive response from the ministry even after four days of agitation.