Police presence at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India has triggered a fresh privacy dispute, with students alleging that personnel continued to patrol hostel areas and restrict movement on the Kolkata campus even as the administration defended the deployment as a security measure.
The students’ union raised the issue at a press conference at the Kolkata Press Club on Saturday, alleging that police personnel remained stationed at the entrance of the administration building and continued moving around the campus, particularly near hostel premises. The union said the deployment was affecting students’ privacy and their ability to move and interact freely.
“Despite it being a Saturday, an official day off for the officials, police personnel continued to occupy the entrance of the administration building. They were also seen continuously patrolling the campus, particularly around the hostel premises,” students’ union general secretary Nachiket said, according to the report.
The union has demanded an immediate end to police presence and patrolling around the hostels. Its objection centres on the location and continued nature of the deployment, which students say creates a sense of surveillance in residential areas that form part of their campus life.
The dispute is part of a wider standoff between the SRFTI administration and students over security and accountability. Students have been protesting against alleged attacks on the campus by outsiders and demanding adequate security, action against those responsible and greater institutional accountability.
The agitation began after an alleged attack during an event on September 27 and a subsequent incident on October 4. It has included a student sit-in and disruptions to normal campus activities. The supplied report does not provide details of any police case, arrests or disciplinary action connected with the incidents.
The administration has maintained that police personnel were deployed to ensure the safety and security of students, faculty members and staff. It cited incidents of intimidation, physical abuse, vandalism at the vice-chancellor’s office and a march on the campus on October 27 as the reasons for maintaining security measures.
The competing positions put the institute’s campus governance under strain: students are seeking safety without regular police movement around residential spaces, while the administration has linked the deployment to a series of incidents it considers serious. The report does not indicate that the administration has announced a revised deployment plan or a timeline for withdrawing personnel from hostel areas.
The students’ union’s immediate demand remains the removal of police presence and patrolling around the hostels, while the administration continues to justify the deployment on security grounds. The next steps will depend on how the institute addresses both the students’ privacy concerns and its stated obligation to protect people and property on campus.
