Arunachal: FTII Itanagar Students Reject ‘Makeshift’ Fixes
After a fresh meeting with SRFTI authorities, FTII Itanagar’s first batch says core demands remain unmet, rejects temporary arrangements and vows to continue its Semester 2 boycott.
ITANAGAR- Students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Itanagar have escalated their ongoing protest, declaring that they will not begin Semester 2 until real infrastructure is delivered and describing their stand as “self-defence” rather than agitation.
In a press release issued on 10 December 2025, the first batch of Screen Acting and Documentary Cinema students rejected what they termed “makeshift arrangements” proposed by authorities and accused the government of still lacking a concrete plan to make the campus functional.
The latest statement follows an earlier communication dated 4 December, in which students had formally announced their refusal to start the new semester citing “severe infrastructural and academic failures.” They say that a meeting held on 9 December with the Vice-Chancellor of SRFTI, the Dean, heads of departments and faculty of FTII Itanagar did not address core demands submitted on 11 November (Screen Acting) and 20 November (Documentary Cinema).
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Instead of committing to full-fledged studios and facilities, authorities reportedly proposed temporary fixes: converting the library’s ground floor into a dance studio, using a CRT room as a rehearsal space, turning a small room above the gym into a make-up studio, and continuing without a preview theatre in Semester 2. Students say there was still no clear timeline for construction of studios, safety infrastructure or technical departments.
The students also reiterated demands for a professional PR and branding setup—including an official website, Google listing and institutional IDs—arguing that a national institute must have a public academic identity. According to the press release, they were told that students and teachers could manage social media themselves, prompting them to ask whether they were also expected to “build the institute’s brand while pursuing a national diploma.
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On the safety front, the batch sought 24×7 medical support, ambulance services and basic emergency facilities, citing repeated incidents in the past. They allege that even these concerns were brushed aside without a timeline or structured plan. The overall response, they say, reduced every demand to some version of “we will convert this space” or “we can manage temporarily,” which they argue is “damage control” rather than education and cannot substitute for a functional national film school.
Students pointed to earlier official communications during their first protest in March 2025, when they were informed that CPWD had assured handover of the entire campus by 31 December 2025. A later mail dated 5 May 2025 revised the “final handover” date to 1 November 2025. Neither deadline has been met, the press note says, leaving the situation “more or less the same” as in March.
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They further state that not a single demand has been meaningfully resolved: construction remains stalled, no timelines have been shared and no accountability has been taken for missed deadlines. Students say they were told they were “overthinking” and suffering from “unnecessary apprehension” but received no answers to basic questions—why students were admitted when the campus was unfit, why CPWD has repeatedly failed, why every deadline has been broken, and why the first batch should bear academic loss for institutional lapses.
Reiterating that they do not want unfinished rooms converted into makeshift facilities, students insist that “infrastructure a national institute requires” must be built fully. They call the 9 December meeting a “serious failure of leadership,” citing the lack of timelines, explanations for stalled work, responses to faculty concerns, or plans for branding and official identity. For them, the pause on new admissions due to lack of infrastructure, contrasted with continued pressure on the existing batch, proves that the government has long been aware of the campus’s non-functional state.
The students’ charter of demands includes: completion of all Screen Acting and Documentary Cinema infrastructure with no substitutions; creation of proper technical departments (props, costume, carpentry, makeup studio, sound studio and studio floor); functional medical and safety services; immediate establishment of a professional PR and branding team; a written, time-bound implementation plan; and relocation of the Screen Acting batch if FTII Itanagar cannot meet national standards at the current site.
Until then, they have resolved: “No classes, no Semester 2, no makeshift adjustments.” While they continue to seek formal dialogue with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, they say that “action must now replace assurances” and conclude: “We will not start Semester 2 unless real work begins. No more adjusting. No more academic loss.
