Police in western Indian city of Pune arrested five students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) for rioting in a midnight crackdown on late Tuesday night.
"An FIR has been filed against all those who have been brought here. We have arrested five of them," deputy police commissioner Tushar Doshi told Hindustan Times newspaper.
The arrests came after a group of protesting students confined FTII director Prashant Pathrabe in his office for over six hours on Monday.
"The students shouted slogans in his office, physically prevented him and other staffers from leaving the office, snapped communication lines and damaged office computers. They demanded that he should immediately cancel the project assessment or they would not release them," an official said on Wednesday, according to First Post.
Police have registered criminal complaint against 15 students and urged the remaining 10 students to surrender.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday expressed shock over police action and offered the protesting students a temporary campus in New Delhi to run classes till their demands are met, according to Indian Express.
Am shocked to hear whats gng on at FTII. An internationally reputed institute being systematically destroyed by govt's wrong decisions(1/3)
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 19, 2015
"I am shocked to hear of what is going on at FTII. An internationally reputed institute being systematically destroyed by government's wrong decisions," Kejriwal said in series of tweets. "My offer to FTII students -- Delhi government can provide you temporary space in Delhi. Run your classes here till central government agrees," he said.
Tuesday's crackdown came amid more than two months of protest against the appointment of ruling Bhartiya Janta Party leader and small time TV actor Gajendra Chauhan's as chairman of FTII, according to The Hindu.
