When students at the Film and Television Institute of India in Itanagar stepped out for a routine academic assignment last Tuesday evening, none of them expected the night to end in blood and bruises. But that is exactly what happened — and now, the institute has ground to a complete halt.
On the evening of September 16, three FTII students were out on Jollang-Rakap Road, working on a field assignment near the campus. A group of local youths confronted them. The situation escalated fast. One of the youths allegedly swung a stick at a student. Dominic Sangma, the head of FTII’s Screenwriting Department, stepped in to intervene.
He was beaten for it.
Sangma, a two-time National Award-winning filmmaker from Meghalaya — celebrated for his Garo-language films including Rapture (Rimdogittanga) and Ma.Ama — was allegedly assaulted by two of the youths. A second student also took a hit, struck on the head with a bamboo stick. And when institute officials and security personnel rushed to the scene, they were reportedly met with verbal abuse and threats.
Police have since arrested the two accused. But for students at FTII Itanagar, an arrest does not feel like enough.
The Students’ Council announced a complete suspension of all academic activities from September 17 — the morning after the attack — and has made clear that classrooms will remain empty until the administration delivers real, concrete action on campus security. Not promises. Action.
This is the part that stings the most. The students are not just reacting to one ugly incident. They say this kind of threat has been building for a long time. Unauthorized outsiders entering the campus, repeated intimidation, a general sense of vulnerability — these are not new complaints. Female students in particular have reportedly raised concerns about their personal safety on and around the institute.
The single biggest demand from students is the deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at FTII Itanagar. And here is where things get frustrating — because an assurance for exactly this was reportedly given back in May 2025. Over a year has passed. The sticking point, according to official explanations, is the lack of suitable accommodation for the CISF personnel. For a campus full of young filmmakers already navigating a difficult environment, that excuse must feel very hollow right now.
There is something particularly jarring about the fact that it was a creative professional of Dominic Sangma’s stature who was attacked. A man who has spent his career using cinema to tell stories from the margins of Northeast India, giving language and dignity to voices rarely heard — assaulted on the road outside a film school. The symbolism is impossible to ignore.
The Students’ Council has been firm: classes stay suspended until safety on and around the campus is guaranteed. Not discussed. Not promised. Guaranteed.
The administration now has a choice. They can move with urgency, finally deliver on the CISF commitment, and show students that the institute takes their safety seriously. Or they can delay again — and watch an institution meant to nurture the next generation of Indian filmmakers continue to operate in fear.
FTII Itanagar deserves better. Its students deserve better. And frankly, so does Dominic Sangma.
