At least four students of the Film and Television Institute of India were injured after a group of supporters of a right wing organisation — the Samasta Hindu Bandhav Sanghatana — stormed its premises in Pune on the afternoon of January 23 and assaulted them over posters with some ‘objectionable’ matter. The posters were on display on the campus.
The Deccan Gymkhana police detained six suspects on charges of criminal trespassing, unlawful assembly, rioting and other offences. The six were released later. The complaint had been lodged by the security incharge at the FTII.
The injured students, including a girl, were discharged from hospital after treatment. Following the incident, security at the FTII has been beefed up.
The FTII Students’ Association had released a statement on January 20, “condemning” the half-day holiday declared on January 22 to mark the opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Around 1.30 p.m. on January 23, over 20 people entered the FTII, argued with some students over the posters, and abused and assaulted them.