A group of over a dozen Hindutva men barged into the campus of the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune on Tuesday afternoon, launching an attack on students, including females.
The attackers, chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” set fire to the FTII Students’ Association banner that bore the message “Remember Babri, death of constitution,” accompanied by derogatory slogans.
The attackers also vandalized a wall displaying photos that students had arranged in remembrance of Babri.
The assailants targeted FTIISA president Mankap Nokwoham, general secretary Sayantan Chakrabarty, and two other students including a female student, resulting in their hospitalization at Sassoon Hospital.
A student said to Maktoob that despite the presence of over a dozen security personnel, the incident unfolded, posing a serious security threat to students.
The student further accused the police of complicity, alleging they stood by and observed the attack on students. Expressing concern for students’ safety, the student emphasised the gravity of the security breach.
In response, students have vowed to address the issue legally, seeking justice for the assault on their campus. Currently, the students are engaged in a sit-in protest within the campus.
The Students’ Association at the Film and Television Institute of India raised a banner with the message “Remember Babri” inside the campus on the day of the Ram temple consecration in Uttar Pradesh. The temple now stands where Babri Masjid, which was demolished by Hindu nationalists in 1992, previously stood.
The official student body of the premier film institute also organized a photo exhibition in remembrance of Babri Masjid and screened Anand Patwardhan’s award-winning documentary “Ram ke Naam.”
