Neetu lands in Mumbai on way to film institute

“I have received no information about Neetu’s arrival,” said DCP (special branch) Ravindra Sengaonkar.

Neetu,it is learnt,is keen to keep her return quiet. When the state government had agreed to revoke her deportation orders in mid-January — this time minus the many conditions it had initially sought to impose — so that she could complete her editing course at FTII,the only condition that was retained was that she should refrain from speaking to the media after her return. Neetu could not be contacted.

FTII director Pankaj Rag was out of town and unavailable for comment.

Dean of Academics Kedar Awati said the institute had received intimation last week that Neetu would be arriving in a week’s time. “We are ready to restart her course once she arrives.”

Chandrashekhar Joshi,the institute spokesperson,said he had no official word on her return. Gloria Koshy,matron of the girls’ hostel,also said she had not received any news on Neetu,but admitted that there was a buzz at the institute about her return.

Neetu,a final year editing student at the FTII,had been deported to Nepal by a ‘secret’ overnight operation conducted by the Pune police on December 5.

The police took her from FTII to Mumbai and put her on a flight to Kathmandu the same night. The reasons cited by them for doing so were that Neetu was indulging in anti-national activities.

The AIDWA that took up Neetu’s case,had maintained that the move was at the behest of Neetu’s estranged husband Amresh Singh,a powerful politician in Nepal. The Indian Express first broke the story on December 30 and following subsequent outrage in the media and society,the government was compelled to revoke the deportation order and state that Neetu would be allowed to return to Pune to complete her editing course.

Amresh and Neetu had filed for divorce at a Kathmandu court last week.