The first batch of students at the Film & Television Institute (FTI) Jote campus in Arunachal Pradesh, India’s third national film school under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, has been protesting for nearly a week over the lack of basic amenities, resulting in a complete halt in academic activities.
The protest of 45 students at the Film & Television Institute (FTI) began on 15 May, shortly after a routine visit by Mukesh Kumar, Chief Engineer of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Northeast Regional Office, Shillong.
According to a press release issued by the protesting students, this marks the second academic strike at the newly inaugurated film institute since March.
The issues raised by the students include the lack of clean drinking water, 24/7 electricity, power backup, campus security, functioning classrooms, and digital access. Additionally, the promised completion of key academic infrastructure, such as the Classroom Theatre (CRT) and post-production blocks, remains pending.
The students stated that their decision to go on strike was not taken lightly but was the result “of months of sustained administrative apathy and broken promises regarding even the most basic infrastructural and academic necessities.”
“Despite repeated representations and a prior academic halt in March 2025, which led to a meeting and a written list of promises, there has been no visible progress on critical issues,” they said.
“Students continue to fall sick due to unsafe water, face frequent internet blackouts, and attend classes in unsafe or unfinished spaces,” they said.
The total cost of the infrastructure development project at the FTI Jote campus is ₹125 crore, out of which ₹85 crore has already been released to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
The students are protesting after the CPWD missed its original deadline and announced a revised timeline for the completion of various campus buildings.
At least 12 infrastructure projects on the campus remain incomplete, including the girls’ hostel, whose completion date has been extended from 15 May 2025 to 31 May 2025. According to the CPWD, the hostel is currently 90% complete.
The Classroom Theatre is also expected to be completed by 31 May, while the Sound Block, Dining Block, and Administrative Block are expected to be completed by 15 July, 31 July, and 31 August 2025, respectively.
The boys’ hostel, with a physical progress of 65%, has a deadline for completion by 30 September, while the Academic Block is expected to be completed by 31 October 2025.
The CPWD claims it will complete key academic infrastructure such as the Digital Block, Preview Theatre, and Shooting Floor by 30 November and 31 December, while all other development works on the campus are expected to be finished by 31 December 2025.
It has been learned that the CPWD had initially assured FTI that the campus infrastructure would be completed by 2024, enabling the institute to shift from its temporary campus at Vivek Vihar to Jote. Relying on this assurance, FTI relocated to Jote; however, the promised infrastructure was not in place. As a result, due to the lack of proper classrooms, the institute was forced to resume online classes for two months.
One of the key demands of the protesting students is the appointment of a permanent campus director to ensure better administration and accountability.
“We are also being denied the dignity of recognition,” said the students.
At present, Jane Namchu, Additional Director General of the Press Information Bureau, Kolkata, is serving as the additional in-charge director at FTI Jote (Rakap).
“Our institute remains without a formal name, logo, website, or even student ID cards. There is still no full-time director on campus. Basic administrative functions are non-operational due to understaffing and mismanagement,” alleged the statement from students.
They demanded the immediate completion of essential infrastructure and functional academic spaces, access to safe drinking water, uninterrupted electricity, and formal accountability from the administration.
“We will not resume academic activities until our basic rights as students of a national institution are fulfilled, not merely promised,” they asserted.
FTI Jote, located 24 kilometers from Itanagar, currently offers three two-year PG Diploma courses in Screenwriting, Acting, and Documentary Cinema, with an annual fee of approximately ₹1.4 lakh.
Former MP and senior Congress leader Takam Sanjoy has extended his support to the students.
Sanjoy said the Film and Television Institute, Arunachal Pradesh (FTI-AP), is the best example of how the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), under the banner of “Congress Mukt Bharat,” has been targeting all parties to boast about its own achievements and live up to the adage of “blowing your own trumpet.”
“It is high time for the state’s BJP Chief Minister to awaken the authorities of the BJP-led Union I&B Ministry to wake up from their deep slumber and act to do the needful to protect the lotus brigade from national shame. The sooner it is, the better,” he said, highlighting that “FTI-AP was a great hope for the aspirants in the field.”
Filmmakers such as Hansal Mehta, Payal Kapadia, Vikramaditya Motwane, Aditya Kripalani, and Bhumika Saraswati have expressed solidarity with the protesting students.
In a statement, the Arunachal Film Collective (AFC) expressed solidarity with the protesting students, stating, “It is both painful and shameful,” the statement read, “that students at one of India’s premier film institutes—our very own FTI Arunachal Pradesh—are being forced to study without basic facilities.
“This is a matter of deep concern for the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh and the film community nationwide,” they said.
“How can the third national film institute of India function without a full-time Director, without identity cards, without its own logo? This is more than mismanagement—it is a denial of your identity and future as filmmakers and storytellers,” they asked.
The body urged the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to take immediate and decisive action.
“Let it be clear: neglecting this institute is neglecting the aspirations of a new generation of filmmakers, not only from Arunachal but from across the country,” they added.
The student unions of Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI), Pune Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Tamil Nadu Government MGR Film and Television Institute, KR Narayan National Film Institute, and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), in separate statements, expressed unwavering solidarity with the students of FTI Arunachal Pradesh, stating that it is “disheartening” and “unacceptable” for students of a premier institution to be forced to study under such appalling conditions.
 Jote campus in Arunachal Pradesh, India’s third national film school under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, has been protesting for nearly a week over the lack of basic amenities, resulting in a complete halt in academic activities.){kind=link}