Over 60 visiting faculty members of FTII have asked the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to shun its "high-handed view" of the students strike and take a "pragmatic and honourable" path to end the impasse, which entered the 71st day on Thursday.

In a letter to the ministry, a copy of which was circulated today, the faculty members said, "By adopting an aggressive and confrontationist path you are only deepening misgivings and hardening postures all around. We urge the government to take a pragmatic and honourable view rather than a high-handed view of the strike."

Objecting to director Prashant Pathrabe's order to conduct assessment of incomplete diploma film projects of the 2008 batch students on "as is where is" basis, the letter said, "Apart from being unfair and unethical, such an assessment is not technically feasible."

The director did not heed the faculty's advice before issuing the order, it added. The letter also expressed "shock" at breaking with the established practice of inviting outside experts to conduct assessment.

"This is a testimony to the fact that you too are aware that this assessment is highly irregular," the faculty members said, adding that the plan to assess the incomplete projects should be reconsidered and withdrawn. "The students have conducted themselves with utmost decency and responsibility, generating unprecedented support from the civil society," the letter noted.