Standoff between police, FTII students amid protest against Gajendra Chauhan

At least 40 protesting students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) were detained by the police on Thursday morning after they allegedly clashed with members of the Staff Association of FTII who were celebrating the newly appointed Chairman Gajendra Chauhan’s arrival by beating drums outside the gate.
The students have been reportedly moved to Deccan and Shivajinagar police stations after the arrest. Meanwhile, the meeting between Chauhan and the members of the FTII society is going on as per schedule.
Earlier in the day, over 100 policemen from Deccan and Shivajinagar Police Station as well as State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) were called, tightening security around the institute, ahead of Chauhan’s visit.
The students were also given permission to peacefully protest. However, after the Staff members brought their celebration rally at the gate, the students confronted the members, leading to chaos outside the institute.
Many students were lathicharged by the police and as many as 40 were detained. Staff members were also asked to stop their celebrations after the incident. Even after the arrest of their batch mates, over 60 students with the protest outside the main theatre.
FTII society members including Satish Shah and Raj Kumar Hirani started arriving at 9.30 am amid tight security.
With the arrival of Chauhan, the meeting began at 11.30 am. Meanwhile, the graffiti which was whitewashed for the meeting reappeared on Thursday morning as the student stuck to their demands. There is no word on the release of the arrested students.
On Wednesday evening, the Deccan Police had issued notices to 17 students who were earlier booked for forcibly confining FTII director Prashant Pathrabe on August 16, warning them of strict action if they disturbed peace at the campus by any means, said Deputy Commissioner of Police.