'CID' producer B P Singh to chair FTII academic council

Pune: The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Society on Thursday decided that B P Singh, an alumnus of the institute and producer of television show 'CID', would be the chairman of its academic council. FTII chairman Gajendra Chauhan will not have any direct involvement in the academic matters of the institute.
Singh was also nominated vice-president of the FTII Society as well as vice-chairman of the institute's governing council.
On his maiden visit to the FTII after his appointment on June 9, Chauhan was welcomed by the staff but also faced protests from the students. The police resorted to a lathicharge and detained 26 students.
On Wednesday, the police served a notice under section 149 of the CrPC to 17 students, who had been booked in August for allegedly gheraoing FTII director Prashant Pathrabe, directing them to refrain from any form of protest during Chauhan's visit to the campus.
Speaking to TOI, secretary in the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry Sunil Arora said, "The ministry did not take any decision regarding the governing council or the academic council. It is the FTII Society which takes these decisions. I am sure the elected people will do their job appropriately."
Chauhan supported Singh's appointment. "Singh is the right person to be appointed as I often keep busy with shootings. He will be of great help. He is very experienced and an alumnus of the institute," he said.
During the meeting of the governing council, Chauhan and other members discussed many issues related to making the institute a Centre of National Excellence and building new infrastructure. He later met the staff and faculty of the institute.
Among the others who were appointed on the governing council were filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, actor Pranjal Saikia, former ABVP president Narendra Pathak, actor Satish Shah and film critic Bhawana Somaiyya.
Students were unhappy with the decisions taken by the FTII Society. "It is a shameful day not only for the institute but for the entire country. The protest is now going to be interesting. We have to keep up with our course work and also protest to maintain the institution's autonomy," said Vikas Urs, a representative of the FTII students' body.
Filmmaker and ex-FTII chairman Adoor Gopalakrishnan said, "I personally don't fell this is a good attitude on the part of the government. I don't want to talk further on the issue."
Filmmaker and FTII alumnus Jahnu Barua, who was part of the previous academic council, said a new chairman has never been appointed for the academic council. "So far, the governing council chairman has headed the academic council also," he said.
The students had gone a strike in June last year to protest against the appointment of Chauhan and four others on the FTII Society. The strike lasted 139 days.
How it works
The FTII Society is headed by a president who is a well-known personality from film and television, arts or academics. The Governing Council (GC) is constituted by election from among the members of the Society. The GC, as the apex body of the FTII, is responsible for making all major policy decisions of the institute in consonance with its aims and objectives. The GC appoints the Academic Council (AC) and the Standing Finance Committee (SFC), who are responsible for advising the FTII on policy matters related to academic affairs and finances. The President of the Society also functions as chairman of each of the bodies - the GC, the AC and the SFC.
(From the FTII's website)