FTII row: Adoor Goapalakrishnan slams govt, alleges bullying

Eminent film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan today said the government wanted to make "criminals out of students" of FTII, and Gajendra Chauhan, whose appointment as its chairman triggered the ongoing, now three-month-old strike, was not qualified enough for the post.
Addressing a press conference here, Gopalakrishnan said, "It is important that the chairman of the governing body (of FTII) is governed by eminent people from different fields like theatre, painting, arts, etc. The current chairman cannot claim to govern the institute because he does not even understand his roles."
He also said a memorandum demanding Chauhan's removal, signed by 190 people including Bollywood actor Vidya Balan, had been sent to the President. It would also be sent to Prime Minister and the Minister for Information and Broadcasting.

"Even others (members of FTII council) have made no contribution to the society. This is a premier film institute which needs someone who can sail it through difficult days," said Gopalakrishnan, who himself has been its director in the past.
Further, sending police to the campus to conduct midnight raids only showed that the government intended to "make criminals out of students", he said.
"They, it seems, want to make criminals out of students. Students are being called to police stations at odd hours. This is only to intimidate and demoralise them," he said.
Well-known documentary maker Anand Patwardhan said attempts were being made to saffronise educational institutions and the only qualification most members of FTII body had was they "belonged to saffron agenda".