#MeToo: FTII student accuses Director for destroying her career

PUNE : NP NEWS 24 ONLINE- #MeToo is spreading like fire throughout the nation. Students of various institutes and youngsters are sharing their harassment stories via social media.

Through #MeToo a shocking revelation has come up in which a 2016 batch, final year student of Film  and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune has opened up about she being targeted in her academics when she repeatedly complained about sexual harassment by a faculty who was a friend of the director of FTII.

She has written a four-page complaint letter to I&B Ministry complaining against Director of FTII Bhupendra Kainthola for ‘creating a hostile work environment for her, ‘intimidating her’ and obstructing her work in FTII’ because she raised her voice against sexual harassment’.

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Kainthola has declared all the allegations by the student to be vague and false and termed it as ‘wild and imaginary’ and that there was no truth in it.

The student has also stated in her letter that the faculty member who she accused of harassment in the Institute was a close friend of Kainthola and no action was taken on the faculty further.

Notably, three other women also alleged the same faculty of sexual harassment with them in September last year. In this year, she had complained of sexual harassment by one of her batchmates and the accused was suspended from hostel for 3 months and the faculty was removed since then.

In her complaint letter she has written that this action against her had ‘confirmed her fears’ that Kainthola had been targeting her as she raised voice against sexual harassment with her.

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The Director had destroyed her film career and had stopped her from working in the Diploma Film.

“The order clearly was meant to destroy my career and I immediately sought legal advice on how to appeal against this. I was told that the appellate authority in this was Kainthola. But when I called him, he harassed me further. He made accusations against me and refused to inform me the details of the inquiry that was obstructing my work. ‘You don’t have to know that’, he said when it is my right to know these details about the inquiry”, she wrote.

Now, she demands the Director to resign from his position of power.

Lately, one of the most famous media colleges Symbiosis was a major topic of discussion when the students complaint of sexual harassment to ICC (Internal Complaints Committee) accusing some seniors and faculties of the college. Even after repeated complaints, action was not taken on the faculty.