FTII row: Second student on hunger strike falls ill, taken to hospital

Pune: One more FTII student, who was on hunger strike against Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as the Chairman of the prestigious institute, was on Saturday night admitted to a private hospital, taking the number of protesters hospitalised to two.

"Alok Arora was hospitalised tonight after he felt unwell with a drop in sugar level," Rahat Jain, a students' representative said.

Last night, Hilal Savad, an electronic cinematography student was hospitalised on advice of the FTII doctors after his condition deteriorated.

Three students had started indefinite hunger strike on Thursday, intensifying the ongoing agitation against appointment of actor and BJP member as the FTII chairman.

The FTII administration after failing to dissuade them from going on hunger strike has appointed its medical personnel to monitor condition of the fasting students who are taken to a private hospital if necessary on doctors' advice.

Meanwhile, noted actor Om Puri and documentary producer Arun Khopkar visited the protesting students, who have been boycotting classes since June 12, to express their solidarity with them, according to the FTII Students' Association (FSA).

Earlier, Abhijit Das, a contractual faculty member at the FTII had gone on a fast demanding resolution of the current impasse over Chauhan's appointment. However, he ended it on September 8 after 66 hours of fasting due to health concerns.

Das, a faculty of art direction department, had started the fast on last Saturday demanding "immediate resolution" of the stalemate which has brought the academic activity to a halt since June.