On 12 June 2015, students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune began boycotting classes after the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry named TV actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan chairman of the institute's governing council. The strike lasted 139 days and included a midnight police arrest of five students and an 18-day hunger strike. The students called it off on 28 October 2015 without the appointment being withdrawn. Chauhan served until March 2017.
Key takeaways
- The I&B Ministry reconstituted the FTII Society around 9 June 2015 and named actor Gajendra Chauhan, best known for playing Yudhishthira in the TV serial Mahabharat, as its president and chairman of the governing council.
- FTII students began boycotting classes on 12 June 2015, saying Chauhan and four other new members lacked stature and had been chosen for their political links. They also asked for a transparent way of choosing future chairmen.
- Police arrested five students from the campus around 2 a.m. on 19 August 2015 after director Prashant Pathrabe complained that students had confined him in his office for hours. The five got bail from a Pune magistrate.
- Students ended the strike on 28 October 2015 after four rounds of talks with officials and one with Minister of State Rajyavardhan Rathore produced no change on Chauhan. They said their protest would continue.
- A case against 35 students over the 2015 gherao, including Cannes Grand Prix winner Payal Kapadia, was still in a Pune court in mid-2024, with the trial not yet started, according to the defence.
Background: the appointment
FTII is run by the FTII Society under the I&B Ministry. The society's president also chairs the governing council. Past chairmen included Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and, before Chauhan, Saeed Mirza Deccan Herald.
The ministry announced a reconstituted society in June 2015. Gajendra Chauhan, who played Yudhishthira in B R Chopra's Mahabharat, was named president and chairman of the governing council. New members included Vidya Balan, Raju Hirani, Jahnu Barua, Santosh Sivan and Pallavi Joshi, along with Narendra Pathak, documentary filmmaker Anagha Ghaisas and actor Rahul Solapurkar PTI via Free Press Journal. An RTI reply later gave 9 June 2015 as the date he was actually appointed IANS via Sentinel.
Chauhan had about 100 films, mostly small roles, and close to 300 TV serials to his credit, and his "close association" with the BJP became the main point of debate Deccan Herald. The Wire reported that he had been linked to the BJP for over 20 years, became a member in 2004 and campaigned for the party in Haryana in 2014 The Wire.
How the strike started
Students began boycotting classes and holding placard demonstrations on the morning of Friday, 12 June 2015 Deccan Herald. FTII Students' Association (FSA) president Harishankar Nachimuthu said appointing someone "who has an official affiliation with the ruling-BJP and who lacks the vision and stature of the past chairpersons" questioned the whole selection process.
By 16 June more than 150 students were boycotting classes. They said: "It is not a question of BJP, NDA or saffronisation. It is a question of minimum qualifications" Deccan Herald. Students also asked for a new selection process in which a governing council made up 51% of FTII alumni would choose the chairman The Wire.
The objection widened to four other members. Students said these members lacked stature and were there because of political links. They said one had headed a Pune unit of the ABVP, the BJP-linked student group PTI via Deccan Herald. In August, the FSA demanded that the society be dissolved and that a committee of bureaucrats, filmmakers and academics frame new rules for forming one Deccan Herald.
Timeline
Boycott begins
Students stop attending classes and demonstrate on campus. Security at FTII is increased Deccan Herald.
Delhi detentions and Jaitley meeting
Delhi Police detain about 200 students protesting in the capital, including some from JNU. A student delegation meets I&B Minister Arun Jaitley. According to the students, he "denied to comment" on Chauhan but promised the curriculum would not be disrupted IANS via Gulf Times.
Society members quit
Pallavi Joshi and Jahnu Barua resign from the FTII Society. Joshi calls it a "principled stand" PTI via Free Press Journal. Santosh Sivan also says he does not want to be considered a member The News Minute.
Rahul Gandhi visits
The Congress vice-president tells students that the RSS and its ideologues were "undermining" the institution by promoting "mediocrity", and that he would oppose privatising FTII Deccan Herald.
Jantar Mantar march
Nearly 300 students march on Parliament Street, backed by several opposition parties, and police detain the rally's leaders Deccan Herald. A delegation meets Joint Secretary (Films) K Sanjay Murthy. There is no breakthrough Deccan Herald.
Hostel notices and 2008 projects
The institute tells 30 students who have finished their courses to vacate hostels. It also stops the services of 82 contract staff and orders an "as-is-where-is" assessment of unfinished 2008-batch films. Students call this an attempt to "handicap" them PTI via Deccan Herald.
Hunger strike
Three students begin an indefinite hunger strike. One, Hilal Savad, is taken to hospital after his blood sugar falls, and Ankit Thapa takes his place Deccan Herald. The fast ends after 18 days when the ministry sets a date for talks The Quint.
Five rounds of talks
Talks are set for Films Division, Mumbai, on 29 September The Quint. By 12 October four meetings with officials have ended without result IANS via Sentinel. The last was in Mumbai on 10 October, and a meeting with Minister of State Rajyavardhan Rathore takes place at Shastri Bhavan, Delhi, on 20 October Free Press Journal.
High Court notice
The Bombay High Court issues notice to the Centre, Maharashtra and an FSA leader on a PIL seeking an end to the strike LiveLaw.
The gherao and the midnight arrests
The gherao was about the 2008 batch, not Chauhan directly. About 50 students from that batch had not finished their diploma films, and Pathrabe ordered them assessed in their incomplete state PTI via Deccan Herald. Students called this "irrational and unjustified".
Claim · Director and police An official said that on Monday, 17 August, more than two dozen students shouted slogans in Pathrabe's office and formed a human chain to stop him leaving. The official also said they cut communication lines and damaged computers, and held him and other staff for eight hours PTI via Deccan Herald. Pathrabe said he had first refused to call police, but "after 3-4 hours, when they didn't give in, I had to call police". He said he was "in a state of mental shock" Deccan Herald. A later ministry panel report gives the date as 18 August PTI via Deccan Herald.
Pathrabe filed a complaint at the Deccan Gymkhana police station late on Tuesday, 18 August. Police teams reached the campus at about 12.45 a.m., and at least five students were arrested at about 2 a.m. on charges including rioting PTI via Deccan Herald. A Pune magistrate granted the five bail. Deputy Commissioner Tushar Joshi said the arrests followed the complaint Deccan Herald.
Reports differ on the number of students named. PTI reported an FIR against 15 students, and Deccan Herald reported about 17 PTI Deccan Herald. The ministry panel report refers to "about 11" arrests PTI via Deccan Herald. In October a Pune court rejected anticipatory bail for 12 students Deccan Chronicle. In the end 35 students were booked, with a chargesheet filed in 2016 IANS via Siasat.
Claim · Students' lawyer Lawyer Asim Sarode said police treated the students as if they were criminals. He said: "The police are acting under the direction of the state or as per the direction of the Centre to the state" Deccan Herald. Pathrabe denied acting at the ministry's direction.
Documented A three-member ministry panel headed by Registrar of Newspapers S M Khan said the director "was well within his right to call the police and lodge FIRs". It also said records showed the 2008 films were delayed mainly because students "were not ready with the scripts". It said contract and visiting faculty "fuel the students without any responsibility", and that the regular faculty kept "changing its stand" PTI via Deccan Herald.
Both accounts
Students' account
The FSA said Chauhan and the other appointees lacked the "academic credentials, vision and stature" to head the institute PTI via Deccan Herald. Spokesperson Vikas Urs said they had been appointed because of their links to a political party Deccan Herald. Students denied that any party was behind the strike, and said they reached out to politicians because the government was ignoring them Deccan Herald. When the strike ended, they said assurances given to their representatives by Jaitley and Rathore in Delhi had not been followed up. They said they were later told that their "politicisation" had led to the withdrawal of "any such solutions", and that Chauhan's appointment never came up in the talks The Wire.
Government and administration account
Government's position The ministry refused to cancel the appointment while keeping talks open LiveLaw. Rathore said a section of students wanted the strike to continue despite solutions and meetings. He said that "with Rahul Gandhi's Pune visit it has become clear that the strike has taken a political colour or it is a political strike from the beginning". He added that "in the last 50 days, no strong action has been taken considering that they are students" India TV. On 10 September he said: "Unfortunately the students have taken an extremely hardline stand" Deccan Chronicle. I&B officials denied that the choice was an attempt at "saffronisation" or that the RSS was involved The Wire. Chauhan asked students to judge him by his work Open. He also said: "Whatever the government says, I will follow" IANS via Gulf Times.
Before the August talks, the ministry had said it would not discuss the demands until students returned to classes. Students were warned that they could face action, including rustication India TV. Filmmakers including Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Raju Hirani took part in informal "track two" talks Deccan Herald.
How the strike ended
On Wednesday, 28 October 2015, the FSA said students would "go back to academics with immediate effect in the best interest of the fraternity". Spokesperson Vikas Urs ruled out "proactive engagement" with the ministry Deccan Herald.
Even after 139 days of non-violent, peaceful and democratic days of protest and strike ... we've taken the decision to return to our academics, but keep the protest on.
FTII Students' Association statement, 28 October 2015 (The Wire)
Chauhan welcomed the decision. "I again appeal to the FTII students to come and talk to me, we can resolve issues," he said Deccan Herald. On the same day, former students Prateek Vats, Vikrant Pawar and Rakesh Shukla said they would return their national awards The Wire.
In November, 87 members of the film community, including Anand Patwardhan, wrote to the ministry about how FTII students were treated at the International Film Festival of India in Goa. They objected to arrests, to students being denied entry despite accreditation and to a student's preventive detention. They also said dropping the student films section "smacked of retaliation" PTI via Business Standard.
What happened later
An October 2015 RTI reply said Chauhan had not yet visited the FTII office IANS via Sentinel. On 7 January 2016 he arrived for the new society's first meeting. Police dispersed and rounded up about 40 students protesting at the gate. A student alleged that police "lathi-charged us". DCP Tushar Joshi said: "We used minimum force". Chauhan said: "we have come here for a job and we will do our job" PTI via The Wire.
His term ended on 3 March 2017 after about one year and seven months. He had asked for an extension, but officials indicated it was unlikely to be granted Deccan Herald. Anupam Kher was appointed on 11 October 2017 The Wire. He resigned on 30 October 2018, citing commitments to a US TV show Deccan Herald.
In January 2024 the FSA put up a "Remember Babri" banner on the day of the Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya. On 23 January, members of the Hindu Jan Jagaran Sangathan entered the campus and burnt a poster. Students said four of them were hurt. Police arrested seven people on charges of assaulting students. The group filed a counter-FIR against the students BOOM.
In May 2024, 2015 strike leader Payal Kapadia won the Cannes Grand Prix. Resul Pookutty and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor then called for the 2015 case to be withdrawn The News Minute. FTII had taken disciplinary action against her and cut her scholarship and a foreign exchange grant IANS via The News Minute.
Outcome
- Demand: Not met. Chauhan and the other appointees stayed.
- Arrests: Five students arrested on 19 August 2015 and granted bail. Reports put the number named in the FIR at 15 to 17. The ministry panel referred to about 11 arrests.
- Case: 35 students booked under IPC sections including 143, 147, 149, 323, 353 and 506. Chargesheet filed in 2016.
- Detentions: About 200 in Delhi on 2 July 2015, and about 40 in Pune on 7 January 2016.
- Court: The Bombay High Court issued notice on a PIL against the strike. The case against students was pending in mid-2024.
What is still pending
In May 2024 the accused student Ameya Gore said: "The trial has not started yet", and added that prosecutors often did not appear. Defence lawyer Chinmay Inamdar said the prosecution had not handed over the video of the gherao, which the defence needed for a discharge application IANS via Siasat. No later report of a discharge, withdrawal or verdict was found. FTII students were protesting again in July 2026, in solidarity with the Jantar Mantar demonstrations Punekar News.
Questions people ask
Why did FTII students go on strike in 2015?
They opposed the appointment of TV actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as chairman, and four other society members. They said these appointees lacked the stature of past chairmen and were chosen for political links. They also wanted a transparent selection process.
How long was the FTII strike?
139 days, from 12 June to 28 October 2015. Some later reports give 131 days, but contemporary reports and the students' own statement say 139.
Why were FTII students arrested at midnight?
Director Prashant Pathrabe complained that students had confined him in his office for hours over the assessment of unfinished 2008-batch films. Police arrested five students on campus at about 2 a.m. on 19 August 2015. They were later granted bail by a Pune magistrate.
Was Payal Kapadia part of the FTII protest?
Yes. She was one of the strike's leaders and is one of 35 students booked in the 2015 gherao case. As of mid-2024 the trial had not begun.
Sources
- PTI via Free Press Journal: Pune's film institute FTII is reconstituted, 10 Jun 2015
- Deccan Herald: FTII students oppose new chairman, 14 Jun 2015
- The Wire: 'Go Back Chauhan, Ritwik Ghatak Was Here', 16 Jun 2015
- Deccan Herald: Deadlock over FTII chief's appointment continues, 17 Jun 2015
- Open: The FTII furore, 18 Jun 2015
- IANS via Gulf Times: Jaitley 'mum' on FTII chief's appointment, 3 Jul 2015
- PTI via Free Press Journal: Seniors quit FTII body; back agitating students, 7 Jul 2015
- The News Minute: Pallavi Joshi refuses to be a part of FTII society, 6 Jul 2015
- Deccan Herald: FTII crisis deepens as Rahul backs students, 1 Aug 2015
- India TV: Govt blames Rahul Gandhi for politicising protests, 3 Aug 2015
- Deccan Herald: FTII student delegation meets I&B officials; no breakthrough, 3 Aug 2015
- Deccan Herald: Political parties extend support to FTII protest, 4 Aug 2015
- PTI via Deccan Herald: FTII impasse: 30 students asked to vacate hostels, 7 Aug 2015
- PTI via Deccan Herald: Midnight swoop: Five agitating FTII students arrested, 19 Aug 2015
- Deccan Herald: FTII students arrested on rioting charges, get bail, 20 Aug 2015
- Deccan Chronicle: Talks failed due to students' hardline stand: Rajyavardhan Rathore, 11 Sep 2015
- Deccan Herald: Fasting FTII student hospitalised, 12 Sep 2015
- The Quint: FTII students call off hunger strike as I&B Ministry agrees, 27 Sep 2015
- PTI via Deccan Herald: I&B panel slams students, faculty; defends FTII administration, 3 Oct 2015
- IANS via Sentinel: Gajendra Chauhan yet to attend FTII office, 12 Oct 2015
- Deccan Chronicle: Next round of FTII talks in Delhi on October 20, 15 Oct 2015
- Free Press Journal: Fifth FTII meeting to be held in Delhi, 20 Oct 2015
- LiveLaw: PIL against FTII strike: Bombay HC issues notice, 20 Oct 2015
- The Wire: FTII students call off strike but will continue to protest, 28 Oct 2015
- Deccan Herald: FTII students end 139-day-old strike, 29 Oct 2015
- PTI via Business Standard: IFFI: Film community condemns treatment meted out to FTII, 27 Nov 2015
- PTI via The Wire: Gajendra Chauhan's first visit to FTII provokes student protests, 7 Jan 2016
- Deccan Herald: Chouhan's FTII tenure ends, 3 Mar 2017
- The Wire: Anupam Kher replaces Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chairman, 11 Oct 2017
- Deccan Herald: Kher resigns as FTII chairman for intl TV show, 31 Oct 2018
- BOOM: Right wing group attacks over Babri Masjid banner. What happened at FTII?, 24 Jan 2024
- IANS via Siasat: In 2015, Payal Kapadia was on the warpath with FTII, 27 May 2024
- IANS via The News Minute: Resul Pookutty campaigns for FTII to drop case against Payal, 28 May 2024
- The News Minute: Shashi Tharoor demands withdrawal of case against Payal Kapadia, 28 May 2024
- Punekar News: FTII students hold protest in Pune, 20 Jul 2026