A Student Arrested For Wearing FTII T-Shirt At IFFI, Goa

A Student Arrested For Wearing FTII T-Shirt At IFFI, Goa

By Students’ Association, FTII

22 November, 2015
Countercurrents.org

Two ex students, Kislay Gonzalvez and Shubham who have been arrested by the GOA police for chanting slogans and holding placards to register a protest against the I&B ministry in the inaugural session of IFFI 2015, are now released on Bail with a surety of 10,000/- each. Ashutosh, another current student of FTII then got arrested in the venue for wearing an FTII t-shirt which was designed during IFFI 2011 and later released on 10,000/- personal bonds. All the three, the 2 ex-students and the current student are not allowed to enter the festival venue premises for the rest of the festival days despite them having valid delegate registration and identity cards. The police have kept their wallets and cell phones with them and are being checked now.

People are being stopped from talking to FTII Students at the venue and one of our students, in fact, someone who was supposed to be an intern was sent back by the festival authorities from the Film Bazaar. Now, these acts are creating a roadblock in our academics, since we are stuck with the legal formalities to get the students out each time. Also, the students who are now present at the venue feel threatened by these acts of the authorities and Goa police, especially, in a situation where our ex-students got brutally manhandled by the Police, at the venue. We, the students of FTII strongly condemn these unjust acts of the I&B Ministry and the festival authorities.

We feel that there is a chaotic situation present at the venue, where we are being constantly under surveillance. Arresting someone for wearing a t-shirt without any solid ground or even any provocation from his side is a clear case of human right violation. The act of checking the personal contents of the cell phones without any reason is like harassing the students and completely unacceptable.

Since, FTII is an official partner in the festival organized by the I&B Ministry and attending the festival is part our academics, it is the responsibly of the Ministry to make sure that the students don’t feel insecure and victimized at the festival anymore. We hold the entire film fraternity responsible for the security of our students. We also request the progressive and liberal citizens of the country to support us.