Director of TV show CID appointed new chairman of FTII

NEWDELHI : The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) has cleared the name of BP Singh, director-producer of the popular crime investigation television series C.I.D. as the new chairperson of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), people aware of the development said on Thursday.

The announcement was made late on Thursday evening.

Singh who is an alumnus of the film institute is currently its vice-chairperson.

His appointment comes more than a month after actor Anupam Kher resigned from the position of Film and Television Institute of India chairperson citing “commitment to international TV shows” as the reason for not completing his term.

“Singh is an experienced television producer, who owns Fireworks Productions, which has to its credit one of the longest and most popular shows on television, C.I.D.,” said an official not wishing to be quoted.

Singh will be the third chairperson who is being appointed to helm the institute, which saw unrest by the students after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government appointed Gajendra Chauhan as the chairperson in June 2015.

In 2016, Singh was appointed as the chairman of the institute’s academic council, in a bid to placate the students who went on a 139-day strike to protest against Chauhan’s appointment.

Singh could not be reached for a comment.