Goa police charge striking FTII students with serious offences





Goa police have arrested two ex-students of FTII, who shouted slogans at IFFI inaugural, under serious non-bailable charges of assaulting government servants on duty and trespassing into the inaugural venue without valid passes.

While police say they have been locked up at Agacaim police station, Students’ Association of FTII alleges that the protesters have been kept out of their reach.

Kislay Gonzalvez and Subham, two ex-students of Film Training Institute of India, were taken out by the police from Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium when they shouted slogans at the fag end of IFFI inaugural yesterday evening.

North Goa SP Umesh Gaonkar told goanews.com that they have been charged under criminal conspiracy, trespassing into the IFFI venue unauthorisedly and assaulting the government servants on duty.

Most of it being non-bailable offences, they would be produced in the Panaji court today morning, he said.

According to SP Gaonkar, both of them did not have valid passes and they pushed the police personnel, who tried to take them away while shouting slogans against the government.

The FTII students had been striking for almost 139 days since 12 June, protesting the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the institute's director.

The strike was called off on 29 October, stating that their protests would continue.

The Students’ Association of FTII has feared that both of them have been physically bullied by the police and expressed fear about their safety.

“We are being treated like criminals for raising pertinent questions against this autocratic government during and after the 139-day strike and all measures are taken by the dictators in power (disguised in the form of a democratic government in power) to crush any form of dissent”, stated the press note released in this regard.

The Association of film students also deplored complete pseudo glorification of Indian cinema at the inaugural ceremony by the I&B ministry, who have no understanding or appreciation of art and cinema of this country.

“The false presentation, false pride and hope for Indian cinema in the future presented by the same ministers, who have appointed their chauvinistic puppets with zero credibility in FTII, could not be accepted and was seen as highly condemnable”, stated the press note.

The students run a Facebook page, explaining their side and struggle.