Students at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata have extended their boycott of academic activities to the 15th consecutive day, alleging that attacks and protests linked to outside organisations have left them concerned about their safety on and around the campus.
The students began abstaining from classes on September 27 after tensions escalated over a programme organised at an institute auditorium by the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), a consumer awareness group affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Opposition to the programme led to a clash in which several people, including two faculty members, were injured, according to the report.
The situation worsened on October 4, when the Bangiya Hindu Jagaran Manch organised a protest outside SRFTI’s main gate against the September 27 incident. Students alleged that some protesters assaulted them as they travelled to the institute and threw stones and bottles. The allegations have not been independently established in the material supplied for this report.
A spokesperson for the SRFTI students’ union said the academic halt would continue until the institute provided assurances on student safety and took up the matter with the police and local administration. Union spokesperson Sudip Chakraborty said students were dissatisfied with the administration’s response and alleged that adequate measures had not been taken to address their security concerns.
According to Chakraborty, students had staged a sit-in outside the vice-chancellor’s office after the October 4 incident. He also alleged that some institute staff members and security personnel intimidated and harassed students who took part in the protest. The union has further said that around 150 students from outside West Bengal felt threatened amid the continuing tensions.
The dispute has disrupted normal academic activity at a centrally important film and television training institute, while also raising questions about how residential educational campuses manage access, demonstrations and student protection when tensions extend beyond the campus boundary. The students’ union is expected to hold a general body meeting soon to discuss the situation and determine its next steps.
SRFTI Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera could not be reached for comment. A senior institute official said that most students had already left the hostels with the onset of Durga Puja. In a statement issued on October 5, SRFTI said it was “deeply concerned” about the incidents and reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of students.
