Concerned with the January 23 violent attack on the students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay expressed their solidarity on Sunday, January 28. They informed about the same via a statement they released on their Instagram handle (iitb4justice).
To recall, the incident at the Pune-based film institute took place on January 23, a day after the grand consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh where around 12 to 15 unidentified persons allegedly barged into the campus by overpowering security personnel and assaulted students while shouting slogans, as per information released by the police.
The mob tore up and burnt the banner put up by the FTII Students Association (FSA) that read "Remember Babri, Death of Constitution". The FSA has claimed that its President Mankap Nokwoham was among those who were attacked, as per a PTI.
A statement issued by the 'concerned students of IIT Bombay' which was posted on Instagram stated that "severe accusations and sections against the same students who were severely beaten are being charged. The sections charged are 153-B(1)(c) and 295-A. These sections are non-bailable offences and the students have been falsely framed."
Concerned over the attacks, threats and arrest, the student body said, "We want to express our solidarity to the students of FTII that despite continuous threats since 21 January, FTII students bravely conducted a film screening and exhibition on 22 January, exposing the three decades of fascist movement and remembering our martyrs. At the same time, we demand the safety of all the students of FTII who hold the total right to engage in educational activities and exercise their freedom of expression."
The students alleged that such attacks have been regular under the leadership of former FTII chairperson Gajemdra Singh who is associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) led BJP. However, they further added that with a three-month strike, the campus forced the administration to take back the decision. "These attacks are attempts to discourage students from making educational spaces a progressive centre of learning," it added.
