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FTII Director Sends Notice To Students, Asks Them To Withdraw Strike Or Face Rustication

FTII Director Sends Notice To Students, Asks Them To Withdraw Strike Or Face Rustication
Indian students of The Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) shout slogans against the central government as they hold placards during a protest rally in Kolkata on June 16, 2015, held in support of fellow cinema students at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, who are showing their opposition to the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as their president, by not attending classes. AFP PHOTO/Dibyangshu SARKAR (Photo credit should read DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)
DIBYANGSHU SARKAR via Getty Images
Indian students of The Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) shout slogans against the central government as they hold placards during a protest rally in Kolkata on June 16, 2015, held in support of fellow cinema students at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, who are showing their opposition to the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as their president, by not attending classes. AFP PHOTO/Dibyangshu SARKAR (Photo credit should read DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

PUNE—Students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII were today served an ultimatum by the Institute authorities to call of their 34-day strike for revocation of the appointment of Gajendra Chouhan as its Chairman or face the risk of rustication.

In the first warning to the students of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India(FTII), Director D J Narian served a notice, asking them to terminate the protest immediately or face "strong" administrative action which may include "rustication".

"Continued defiance will lead to strict administrative action," FTII Director tells students.

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"All concerned students will themselves be responsible for any administrative action in this regard.

"You are therefore ordered to terminate the strike with immediate effect and resume academic activities without any further delay, failing which the institution will be free to take strict administrative action," the notice said.

The notice addressed to the students' leader Harishankar Nachimuthu said they should return to their academic activities and warned that any defiance of the directive would result in a strong administrative action which may include rustication as well.

Asked for his reaction to the director's warning, a spokesman of the FTII Students' Association (FSA) said, "we are in the process of deliberations and will decide future course of action".

Today's move by the FTII director came after the failed July 3 talks between the FSA delegation and Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on the contentious issue of appointment of Chauhan, a BJP member and actor, as Chairman of the Institute.

The agitating students have alleged that the actor, known for his role of Yudhishthir in mega TV serial Mahabharat, lacks "vision and stature" to head the FTII.

They also got support from several film celebrities though some have said that Chauhan should not be prejudged before he takes up his job.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.