Striking students gherao FTII director Prashant Pathrabe

PUNE: Agitating Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students gheraoed FTII director Prashant Pathrabe in his office this evening.

The students demanded an explanation about the ongoing "assessment" of incomplete diploma film projects of the 2008 batch based on orders from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

Pathrabe, who was inside the FTII campus office along with students, confirmed that he had been gheraoed by them and also told PTI that he was "safe".

The agitating FTII students, whose strike against the appointment of BJP member and TV actor Gajendra Chauhan entered its 68th day today, called the "assessment" of the film projects of the 2008 batch undertaken by the faculty as "irrational and unjustified" since the work was incomplete in the absence of audiography and editing.

The FTII Students' Association (FSA) has alleged that the move was politically motivated and aimed at getting rid of about 50 inmates belonging to the 2008 batch on the ground of "overstaying" due to incomplete projects.

According to an FSA statement, the FTII director told the students that that the ministry wanted him to go ahead with the "assessment" despite the student protest.

"The director suggested that we speak to the Joint Secretary (Information & Broadcasting Ministry) directly, but he refuses to take our calls," FSA representative Ranjit Nair said.

FTII students have been protesting against Chauhan's appointment as FTII chairman, saying that he had neither any credentials nor any academic excellence to head the institution