Delays, a Half-Built Campus, and No Amenities: Inside the Protests at FTI Arunachal Pradesh 

New Delhi: On May 15, students of the first batch at the Film and Television Institute, Arunachal Pradesh, launched an indefinite academic strike. The immediate trigger was a day-long power cut which led to a total network blackout for the institute, essentially cutting its students off. But students say that it is not just this but six months of brewing anger that led to the protests.

According to a press note released by the protesting students, this is the second academic strike at the newly inaugurated film institute since March. It comes after “months of sustained administrative apathy and broken promises regarding even the most basic infrastructural and academic necessities,” the note said.

‘Being denied the dignity of recognition’

“Despite repeated representations and a prior academic halt in March 2025, which led to a meeting and a written list of promises,” the press note adds, “there has been no visible progress on critical issues.”

This includes water supply, power supply and backup, and key infrastructure necessary for academic activity in a functional film school. Students allege that neither the Classroom Theatre (CRT) nor the post-production blocks are functional. “We don't have proper classrooms yet. Our classes are conducted inside the library and even there, we just have a couple of bookshelves,” a student told The Wire. 

“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,” the statement alleged. 

Students protest at the Television Institute, Arunachal Pradesh. Photo: By arrangement.

Repeated delays

Five years ago, 25-year-old Abhishek* began pursuing an undergraduate degree in mass communication from a private college in Delhi, but realised it was not his calling. Abhishek wanted to pursue a career in screen acting. “I did theatre in college and pursued a short course from the National School of Drama to build my profile as an actor.”

Soon, Abhishek began to get acting jobs. “I wanted to acquire professional training as an actor and therefore began to prepare for the entrance examination at FTII Pune.” Despite making it to the final round, he could not clear the test. What could have been the end of the road for him turned out not quite as dire thanks to that fact that an FTI had come up in Arunachal Pradesh.

The film school’s entrance exams for three two-year post-graduate diploma courses – in screenwriting, screen acting, and documentary cinema – happened in the third week of August. It took another three months for the results to be announced. Abhishek found he had cleared it.

In November 2024, students received an email from the admission cell at FTI ArP, which said, “We are excited to inform you that the online classes for your postgraduate programme will commence from 14th to 16th November 2024.”

Students were surprised that online classes were going to be held for practical subjects.

“We were given the option to attend online classes, but all students unanimously refused,” said Abhishek.

The email further asked the students to confirm their participation in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. Multiple students told The Wire that they were promised that offline classes will begin soon in December after the IFFI.

“Some students had even packed their bags to go to the campus straight after IFFI. One student had resigned from his job. But had to eventually cancel his admission due to the extraordinary delay,” said Abhishek.

It took at least four more months for the college to formally start on March 10, 2025. “We kept sending them emails to ask when the classes will start,” he said.

Students shared three letters that they had sent the administration – on December 17, January 9, and January 15 – seeking clarity on the commencement of the academic session. The final letter sought a meeting with the director.

Eventually, in February 2025, the FTI director, Satish Nambudiparad, informed the students about the official commencement of classes. Students noted that the communication came on the letterhead of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata, which is the parent institute of FTI ArP. It said, “We understand that the wait has been longer than expected and a bit disconcerting to you. But we hope that you also understand that we have been doing everything possible at our end to reach this day sooner.”

‘It looked like a construction site’

When Abhishek arrived in Itanagar with a group of 13 batchmates on the Arunachal Express, a special train from Delhi to Itanagar, he was very excited. “It was finally happening,” he said. But his excitement soon turned nto disbelief and worry. “It was nothing like what we had been promised.”

The main auditorium of Film and Television Institute, Arunachal Pradesh. Photo: By arrangement.

The classes started on March 10 but the classrooms, library, and other technical resources remained unavailable to the students.

Prakriti*, a 23-year-old student from Rajasthan who had been enrolled in the PG diploma documentary cinema programme, landed at the Hollongi airport at around the same time. “When I first arrived here with my parents in March, they were shocked to see that there was no main gate at the college. The gate still not there. They were worried for my safety. It looked more like a construction site than a functional film school,” she said.

The main gate of Film and Television Institute, Arunachal Pradesh. Photo: By arrangement.

Little has changed since then, Prakriti said.

Shivani Dubey, a 30-year-old from the Bhadohi district in Uttar Pradesh, left her well-paying political consultancy job to pursue her childhood dream of becoming an actor.

“I always wanted to become an actor. I thought that this is the best way to express myself without being judged. Due to my financial situation, I couldn't think about a career in acting. It was only during my master's program at Azim Premji University that I got into theatre and learned that there are courses for film students," Shivani said.

According to the press note released by the students, those who were living on campus began to fall sick due to what the students suspect is unsafe water. They have gone without clean water for up to three days, they have said. Students have also cited frequent internet blackouts, and the fact that classes are held in unsafe or unfinished spaces as reasons for their deep dissatisfaction. 

"The infrastructure is an issue, but the bigger issue for me was water, food, and electricity,” Shivani said.

The academic blocks of the Film and Television Institute, Arunachal Pradesh. Photo: By arrangement.

A student who declined to comment fell seriously ill, and had to go back home. Shivani, who had also fallen ill, said that there were no doctors or nurses when she had fallen sick. Another student said that the campus is quite far from Itanagar and, in case of an emergency, it would be difficult to reach a hospital quickly.

The film school is located in Jollang-Rakap and is approximately 22 km from Itanagar. Commuting is near impossible without a proper transport facility, students say.

Deepak Kumar, the deputy registrar at FTI told The Wire that they have hired a permanent nurse and also a doctor who now regularly visits the campus. On food, electricity and water issues, he said that arrangements have been made to provide subsidised food and clean drinking water. “We are constantly in touch with the students, the Central Public Works Department, and even the construction company to resolve these concerns as soon as possible,” he said.

A work in progress

Prakriti told The Wire that the roads to the institution have not been paved. “When it rains, it becomes impossible to venture out because the land cracks up and there's a threat of landslides.” 

The Wire accessed an RTI request by the students seeking a detailed update on the status of the campus, especially the theatre hall and auditorium. The RTI asked for their status and expected a timeline for completion. The response cited a Central Public Works Department report which said that 85% work has been done. The students say that this is far from true. 

The shooting floor of the Film and Television Institute, Arunachal Pradesh. Photo: By arrangement.

An official source told The Wire that the institute’s job is to impart education, the job to build infrastructure lies with the CPWD and their contractor. “For some reason, the contractor has not been able to meet the deadlines of the deliverables. This has been brought up with CPWD in our meetings,” he said. “We were given the deadline of December 2024 but it didn't happen by then. We could not cancel the admission once the entrance exam had taken place.”

Students said that they don't have a problem with the faculty. "They are also trying. I don't know if it's the CPWD or the government process that's causing these delays,” said Dubey.

The canteen of the Film and Television Institute, Arunachal Pradesh. Photo: By arrangement.

Last week, the students had a meeting with Mukesh Kumar, the CPWD chief engineer in Shillong, in which they questioned him and the contractor over repeated delays and asked why the contractor cannot be replaced.

Speaking to The Wire, Kumar confirmed that the meeting happened and said that “by the end of this month, we will deliver three buildings, and by December, the campus will be ready.” He, too, blamed the contractor for the delays.

Meanwhile, students have intensified their stir and launched a march to protest against the delays. They have received solidarity notes from academic groups and film students from across the country.

Notes of solidarity from Payal Kapadia, Hansal Mehta and Vikramaditya Motwane.

In their most recent press release, the students said that this second academic halt was not a symbolic act. "It is a refusal to continue learning in conditions that are physically unsafe, emotionally draining, and academically untenable. We demand the immediate completion of essential infrastructure, functional academic spaces, 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.”

*Names changed on request.

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