FTII students held in midnight crackdown, freed

FTII director Prashant Pathrabe claimed on Wednesday that he was tortured. The arrested students were later granted bail by a local court. The police action on a complaint by Pathrabe was condemned by Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the film fraternity with the Congress Vice-President telling PM Narendra Modi that the arrested students were not criminals who needed to be caught in a midnight crackdown.

Stating that he was still in a state of “mental shock”, <g data-gr-id="12">Pathrabe</g> rejected suggestions he was forced to file the police complaint under pressure from the I&B ministry, as the arrests added to the tense showdown between the government and the students whose strike entered the 70th day on Wednesday.

The students have been charged with vandalising the director’s office and damaging glass panes, computer and table amid conflicting versions as to to who was responsible for the vandalism.