The deadlock between the Film and Television Institute of India students and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry continues as fresh round of talks on Wednesday also proved to be inconclusive.
The two sides will now meet on October 10 in Mumbai, in a bid to resolve a more than 100-day old stalemate over the controversial appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as Chairman of the premier film institute in Pune.
Presided by I&B Ministry secretary Sunil Arora, Wednesday’s meet was the third between the two sides.
Besides calling for the annulment of the appointment of Mr. Chauhan as chairman and other members of the institute perceived close to the Sangh Parivar, the students demanded a review of the existing system of appointments, based on transparency.
However, there seems no concrete solution at hand, and the agitation will continue.
The major demands of the students, including the appointment of Mr. Chauhan, were not resolved in the meeting. “It was inconclusive in terms of our core issues. The Ministry has not committed anything on them or clarified its position. So it is still a matter of debate and discussion,” Vikar Urs, a representative of the protesting students, told The Hindu .
However, he said, there were some “concrete” and “constructive discussions” on peripheral issues. These discussions rallied around the transition of the institute to one of national importance and the need to overhaul the institute’s infrastructure. “On these issues, the Ministry did commit a proactive participation in helping it resolve. The Ministry has proposed a mechanism, which the students will look into,” Mr. Urs said.
The officials asked the students to submit a blueprint within a fortnight on their demand for converting FTII into an institute of national excellence. Those present in the meeting included K. Sanjay Murthy, joint secretary films, Mukesh Sharma, director general, films division; Prashant Pathrabe, FTII director and U.C Bodke, registrar, FTII. Aruna Raje, an alumni member of FTII, also attended.
The protesting students recently called off their 17-day relay hunger strike after the Ministry agreed to come to the table.
