Determined to forestall any ‘trouble’ at the prestigious International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the Information and Broadcasting (I & B) Ministry has upped its ante in its cold war with the agitating students of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), expelling an FTII student from the ongoing film fest in Goa.

V. Raghavender, a second year film editing student, was asked to leave by I & B authorities on grounds that his presence was a ‘potential threat’ to the event.

The student was selected as an intern at the Film Bazaar along with students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute and had reached Goa on Thursday morning to commence work. The Film Bazaar is an auxiliary event organized by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) during the 10-day IFFI fest.

“Around late afternoon Thursday, authorities asked Raghavender to leave citing his presence to be a ‘threat’ to the film festival,” said Vikas Urs, spokesman, FTII Students Association (FSA).

“A senior had recommended me for the internship and the Film Bazaar organisers accordingly invited me to Goa with the caveat that I would not get paid for it. When I was introduced to the NDFC director-general Nina Lath Gupta, she asked me whether I was a current student. I said yes,” said Mr. Raghavender, who hails from Hyderabad.

An hour later, he was told by his team in-charge that he was to leave as higher authorities had communicated that his presence was ‘a potential threat’ to the IFFI fest.

On Friday, the FSA alleged that two ex-students who were held by police while protesting against the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) at the IFFI 2015 inaugural function were roughed up by Goa police.

Earlier, in a bid to frustrate student protests at the IFFI venue, the Directorate of Film Festival (DFF) had dropped the students’ film package from the IFFI which led to the cancellations of films shot by FTII students on their protracted 139-day strike over the contentious appointment of TV actor and BJP hack Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chairman.

Following the termination of the strike last month - the longest in the history of the institution since its inception in 1961 – the students, while returning to their classes, have vowed to continue the agitation against Mr. Chauhan’s appointment in a ‘democratic way’. The students have already said they would not hold further parleys with the I&B ministry until the appointments of Chauhan and four other FTII society members, said to be Sangh Parivar propagandists, were revoked.

FTII Limbo Gajendra Chauhan, an actor-turned-politician, was appointed as the chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on June 9, 2015. His appointment triggered an >indefinite strike by students of the institute on June 12. Who is Chauhan? Mr. Chauhan is best known as 'Yudhisthira' in the Mahabharata TV series aired on television in 1988-90. He has been associated with BJP for over two decades but formally joined the party in 2004. Why protest? Students of FTII have questioned Mr. Chauhan's body of work and "creative credentials." The students doubt if Mr. Chauhan can fit in the shoes of predecessors like R.K. Laxman, Syam Benegal, Girish Karnad and U.R. Ananthamurthy. Political vendetta? Students claim that Mr. Chauhan's appointment is an attempt of the ruling party to foist its right-wing agenda upon the Institute. Supporters Besides, prominent film personalities, All India Students' Association (AISA), the Kolkata-based Satyajit Ray Film Institute, and students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) are all coming out strongly in support of the striking students. If they don't want you, they don't want you. Pushing for the chairmanship is getting you no where. Let self pride play a role and retire - >Rishi Kapoor

FTII needs to be in safe hands. Students need somebody who they can trust and look up to. It's their future which is at stake here. >- Rajkumar Rao

This is something we should be talking about and by this we will clearly know that it is a mistake and that he has no credentials...If I would have been in place of Chauhan and I would have seen that my fraternity does not want me, I would have withdrawn. >- Amol Palekar

Don't think what the students are asking for is illogical, don't think they are asking for the moon. They are just asking for a fair chance, a fair opportunity, correct faculty, correct syllabus. - Ranbir Kapoor

I have neither been approached by students nor by authorities. But being an alumnus of this institute to which I owe my film career, I am more than willing to step in and sort out matters if given the chance to do so. - >Shatrughan Sinha

Prominent chairmen