US academicians led by Noam Chomsky enter the FTII row, question Gajendra Chauhan's credentials

More than 200 US-based academicians, scholars, teachers, students and Silicon Valley professionals have written a letter, dated 19 September, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing solidarity with the protesting FTII students.

The list includes names like popular writer and academician Noam Chomsky, Partha Chatterjee, Raza Mir and Vijay Prasad among others.

Chomsky is an eminent political commentator and social justice activist who has authored several books including 'Manufacturing Consent'.

"The action of your government in installing individuals whose qualifications are arbitrary at best as members of the Governing Council at FTII is regrettable and seems motivated mostly by their allegiance to the BJP. The credentials of these hires, including Mr. Gajendra Chauhan (candidate for chair of the Governing Body), Ms. Anagha Ghaisas, Mr. Narendra Pathak, Mr. Pranjal Saikia, and Mr.

Rahul Solapurkar are dubious in the extreme," read the letter.

The signatories also mentioned the problem of the alleged growing interference of government in other premiere institutes like CHR, ICCR, NFDC, NBT, CBFC, Prasar Bharati, the IIMs, the IITs, etc.

The police crackdown on protesting students, which compelled them to sit on a hunger-strike, has also been condemned by the signatories. "It is sad indeed that the students of one of the best film schools in the world are struggling to have their legitimate concerns addressed," it said.

The letter was written to mark the 100th day of the students' strike and demanded a quick action to resolve the entire issue.

FTII students, who were sitting on a hunger strike, called it off on 27 September after the government fixed the meeting dates.