FTII students willing to call off hunger strike if govt responds

For more than two weeks, students have started a relay hunger strike, with Shekhar having fasted for almost 17 days.

SIGNIFYING THEIR willingness to end the ongoing deadlock, striking students of the Film and Television Institute (FTII) has said that they would withdraw their ongoing hunger strike if the government responds favourably to their offer of talks.

Addressing a press conference in Pune on Saturday, student leaders Vikas Urs , Rakesh Shukla and Himanshu Shekhar said that they have written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in this regard and are awaiting further response from them.

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Academic activities at the premier institute has been suspended since the last

107 days with students going on strike over the election of Gajendra Chauhan as chairperson of the body. For more than two weeks, students have started a relay hunger strike, with Shekhar having fasted for almost 17 days.

The joint secretary of the I&B ministry had sent a letter to the striking students on September 24 showing willingness to talk provided they do not set any preconditions. “In response, we have expressed our willingness to give up the hunger strike in case the modalities of the talks are finalised by the government,” Shekhar said. A letter in this regard has been sent to the ministry on Friday.

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