Meghalaya filmmaker and National Award winner Dominic Sangma was allegedly assaulted by two men near Rakap village along the Jollang-Rakap road in Itanagar on Wednesday evening after he intervened when students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) were allegedly being harassed.
Sangma, who heads the Department of Screenwriting at FTII’s Jote campus in Arunachal Pradesh, was returning from an evening walk when the incident took place at around 6.30 pm, police said. The incident occurred near the FTII campus and has led to the registration of an FIR at Balijan police station.
According to Sangma’s wife, Karry Padu, the filmmaker intervened after seeing two local men allegedly assaulting students. She alleged that the men then turned on Sangma and attacked him. In a Facebook post, Padu wrote, “My husband was attacked by some local boys around the Rakap village near FTII JOTE today by two young boys.”
Padu further alleged that the two men were carrying bamboo sticks and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. She also claimed that an FTII security guard and four students were assaulted and wrongfully restrained during the incident.
Expressing concern over the incident, Padu wrote, “I feel angry and ashamed at the same time,” and appealed to the police and the government to take action against those responsible.
An FIR has been registered at Balijan police station under Sections 115(2), 117(2), 126 and 351 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The accused have been identified in the FIR as Techi Nanu and Techi Sanjay, both residents of Rakap village. Police said further investigation into the incident is underway.
