'Have Lip Injury And Bruises On My Body': National Award Winner Dominic Sangma Recounts Assault Outside FTII In Itanagar

Dominic Sangma, the Meghalaya filmmaker and National Award winner, was allegedly attacked by two men near Rakap village on the Jollang-Rakap road in Itanagar on Wednesday (September 16) evening. He had stepped in when they were harassing students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

Sangma, who leads the Department of Screenwriting at FTII’s Jote campus, shared details about the incident.

"Have bruises on my body"

Dominic told Outlook, "Our campus is located 20–25 km away from the main city. Yesterday around 6:00 PM, I went for a stroll. About 200 meters from the campus, I noticed two men drinking, playing loud music, and holding bamboo sticks. I saw them beating a local labourer, but I ignored it and continued walking.

When I returned around 6:30 PM, a few of our students were outside the campus premises within a 500-meter radius. Three of them were riding a bike back toward campus. They said, 'Bye, Sir,' to me, but right in front of my eyes, they were intercepted by the same two men, who verbally abused and assaulted them. Fortunately, the students managed to escape and rode back in the direction they had come from."

Further sharing the ordeal, Sangma said, "Knowing the students were still waiting to return to campus, and since I have been here for nearly two years, I decided to intervene. I asked the men to let the students go, explaining that they had joined the institution just two weeks ago. I thought they had agreed, so I signalled the students to proceed. However, as soon as the students reached the spot, the men grabbed them again and started beating them. Luckily, the students managed to restart their bike and escape once more."

"That left me alone with the attackers, who were drunk and looking to pick a fight with anyone. Realising they were about to attack me, I apologised. Just then, one of our campus security guards, who is non-local, arrived and pleaded, 'Let our Sir go.' In response, the men lunged at him and then turned on me, knocking me flat to the ground. They began punching me repeatedly while I yelled for help. The guard managed to pull one of them off me, giving me a chance to escape," he added.

The filmmaker has a swollen lip, bruises all over his body, and is suffering from shoulder pain. "Fortunately, I did not sustain any head injuries or broken bones," he said.

Expresses concern for students

Sangma is more concerned about the students than himself, adding, "Since this is a national institute, students come from all over India to study here. While I respect the institution’s local traditions and rules, calling it a 'national institute' means accommodating people from diverse backgrounds. The administration needs to consider whether the surrounding community is ready to accept students from outside the region."

Meanwhile, 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 named in the FIR are Techi Nanu and Techi Sanjay, both residents of Rakap village.

Sangma's film career

Sangma is known for Garo-language cinema. His film Rapture won the Best Garo Film award at the 66th National Film Awards.