Police crackdown at FTII political vendetta: Buddhadeb Dasgupta

KOLKATA: Condemning police crackdown on protesting students at Pune's FTII, National Award-winning director Buddhadeb Dasgupta today alleged that it was a case of "political vendetta".

"This is absolutely unpardonable. No one other than the director has the authority to allow police into the campus. This is a case of political vendetta," Dasgupta told PTI when asked to react on the arrest of students.

Alleging that the administration is treating film students as "criminals", he said, the FTII had faced so many problems in the past, but never before was the police allowed to enter into the campus and arrest students.

"If they are doing something wrong, you tell them what is wrong. They are your students, just like your brothers and how you can get them arrested?" Dasgupta asked.

Echoing his views, another National Award-winning director Goutam Ghose wondered how students could study in such an environment.

"It is sad if they politicise every issue. How will the students study," he said.

Acting on a complaint filed by FTII Director Prashant Pathrabe, the police today arrested five students from the campus on charges of rioting and other offences after a group of striking students had on Monday gheraoed him protesting against "irrational and unjustified" assessment of the incomplete diploma projects.

The students had been on a strike for the last 69 days against the appointment of BJP member and TV actor Gajendra Chauhan as the institute's chairman.