FTII row: Striking students ready for talks today

The possibility of a fresh round of talks between the Centre and striking FTII students brightened on Tuesday with protesters saying they were ready to meet Information and Broadcasting Ministry officials at the institute’s campus on Wednesday. 

The ministry had asked the students’ body to suggest a date for a dialogue with them to call off the strike, which entered the 103rd day on Tuesday, bringing academic activity on the campus to a standstill.

“We received a letter from the Ministry (Information and Broadcasting) asking us to suggest a date for the meeting. They proposed us to call off the strike and have a dialogue,” Yashasvi Mishra, a representative of the FTII Students’ Association (FSA), said. The FSA, which has demanded the removal of TV actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as the institute’s chairmanship, in its reply urged the ministry to convene a meeting on  Wednesday, considering the hunger strike launched by students. “We have replied to the letter, clearly expressing our concerns regarding the students on hunger strike and urged the government to get this meeting organised at the earliest. We have stated that the onus to help us call off the strike by resolving the issues lies with the government,” the FSA said in a statement.