Seven days on, FTII Itanagar students stand firm on Semester 2 boycott
The students, protesting for seven days, continue the boycott over lack of promised infrastructure, academic facilities, and support systems.
The protesting students of FTII Itanagar (Photo - @voiceofftiii / X)
Itanagar, Dec 12: Students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Itanagar, have reiterated their decision not to attend Semester 2. They allege that the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Institute authorities have failed to provide basic infrastructure, academic facilities, and a functional student support system.
These issues, they say, have persisted despite repeated assurances over the past year.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, the students said the situation has “remained unchanged” since their earlier announcement on December 4, when they first declared their decision not to resume classes.
Their stand continued even after a meeting on December 9 with the Vice-Chancellor of SRFTI, the Dean, HoDs, and faculty members. According to the students, none of their core demands were addressed in the meeting.
They also criticised the authorities for offering only temporary arrangements such as converting the library’s ground floor into a dance studio, using a CRT room as a rehearsal space, and turning a small room into a makeup studio.
Students said they were told there would be no preview theatre for Semester 2 and that no firm timeline existed for completing studios, safety facilities, or technical departments.
Earlier, the students said they had submitted multiple representations to Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) Kolkata and the Ministry of I&B as early as December 2024, highlighting poor academic conditions.
They also carried out two academic halts in March and May 2025. Classes were resumed each time after assurances that infrastructure would improve. Students now say those assurances were never fulfilled.
They further claim that all construction and development work stopped completely after classes resumed in August 2025.
According to the students, recent RTI replies and official communication between SRFTI and the Ministry confirm that the FTII Itanagar campus is still incomplete.
These documents also indicate that the campus is unfit to admit new students in 2025, with fresh admissions reportedly kept on hold due to inadequate infrastructure.