The student community of the Film Institute of India (FTII) in Maharashtra’s Pune, on January 23, has vehemently condemned the action of miscreants who entered the university premises on Sunday and hurled abuses at the students while chanting Jai Shri Ram.
On January 20, the FTII released a press note on the attack by some 20 Hindutva workers while the students were protesting against the Ram Mandir inaugural event that was to be held in Ayodhya on January 22.
The FTII stated that the inaugural event was ‘a shadow of doubt upon the cherished notion of secularism embedded in the Indian Constitution but callously overlooks the bloodshed that sustained the very land during the demolition of Babri Masjid’.
Denouncing the Central Government’s ‘blatant use of power’ proceeding towards the Lok Sabha elections to be held somewhere in the middle of 2024 sows seeds of communal discord under the guise of religious harmony.
Local reports suggest that the FTIISA president Mankap Nokwoham was attacked and sustained injuries even as the security personnel stationed there stood as mute spectators. Four students including a female student, who tried to help him were also injured.
The angry mob proceeded towards the Wisdom Tree, pulled out the banner with the message ‘Remember Babri’, and burnt it down.
Amidst all this, FTII general secretary Sayantan questioned the security head about the ongoing assault. Later, he was also beaten up. Many students including a female student tried to save him but also received injuries in the process.
Earlier, on January 20, the FTII released another press release terming the Ram Mandir inaugural event as ‘a shadow of doubt upon the cherished notion of secularism embedded in the Indian Constitution but callously overlooks the bloodshed that sustained the very land during the demolition of Babri Masjid’.
Denouncing the Central Government’s ‘blatant use of power’ proceeding towards the Lok Sabha elections to be held somewhere in the middle of 2024 sows seeds of communal discord under the guise of religious harmony.
