FTII students, I&B Ministry officials to meet again as 4th meeting ends inconclusively

A fourth meeting on Saturday between officials of the I&B Ministry and striking students of the FTII failed to break the impasse over the stir.

Mumbai: A fourth meeting on Saturday between officials of the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry and striking students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) failed to break the impasse over the stir that has continued for over 100 days. A fifth meeting is now slated on October 13 in the national capital.

The students have been protesting against the appointment of actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the Pune-based premier institute.

However, Ranjit Nair, a member of the striking FTII students' core committee, said that the interaction ended on a positive note with the ministry proposing some solutions.

"Once again, we discussed the problematic appointment in great detail with the ministry and possible solutions were proposed. The (I&B) secretary has ensured a meeting with (Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in Delhi around the 13th to take the negotiations forward," Nair told IANS.

The students say that the appointment of Chauhan, best known for essaying the eldest Pandava brother Yudhisthir in B.R. Chopra's "Mahabharat", is highly questionable.