Willing to talk to protesting students any time, says FTII Chairman Gajendra Chauhan

Amidst protests and lathicharge on students, Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) chairman Gajendra Chauhan on Thursday said that he is willing to address the demands of protesting students. "I really wanted to meet the students of the institute. I am willing to talk to protesting students any time and listen to their grievances," Chauhan told reporters here.

When asked to respond on the protesting students, Chauhan said, "Staging a protest is someone's democratic right, taking action on them is not under our jurisdictions it is for police to look into the matter."

"I came here to fulfill my responsibilities and the meeting has been very fruitful and it has been conducted with lot of positive attitude," he said. 'The most prominent part of the meetings was that the decisions were taken unanimously without any opposition,' he added.

The newly appointed Chairman outlined that the governing council was committed to the Union Government's vision of transforming FTII into a national institute of excellence. Chauhan, who had a forgettable outing on first day as FTII chairman, saw 40 of the agitating students allegedly manhandled and detained by the Pune police.