As many as 87 filmmakers, many of whom are participating in the 46th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), have jointly written to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley condemning the behaviour of the festival organisers towards protesting FTII students and stifling student expression.
The letter, which was circulated to the media here by filmmakers like Anant Patwardhan, Anjali Monteiro, Sridhar Rangayan, Madhusree Dutta, among many others also links the crackdown on Film and Television Institute of India students to the 139-day stand-off between them and the central government over the appointment of the institute's chairman Gajendra Chauhan.
"We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the harsh measures that are being taken to stifle the participation of the student community at IFFI and demand that the students from the FTII be allowed to participate in the festival, as it is their democratic right to do so," said the letter, which also demands dropping of criminal charges against two ex-FTII students who were arrested for shouting slogans and holding placards at the IFFI inaugural function.