Students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) launched protests across campuses on Tuesday, a month after clashes at the Kolkata institute, demanding an end to what they described as the “saffronisation” and privatisation of educational institutions, the withdrawal of rustication orders and action over the September 27 violence.
The nationwide demonstrations brought together visiting filmmakers, actors, lawyers and student activists. At SRFTI in Kolkata, the programme began with a garland ceremony at the BR Ambedkar statue, followed by a convention at the protest pandal. Participants later made banners and artwork before taking out a march at 4 pm.
The students also questioned restrictions on entry to the campus during Tuesday’s programme. Advocate Shamim Ahmed and filmmaker Kamaleshwar Mukherjee said they were not allowed to enter the premises, while staff, faculty members and delivery personnel continued to have access. Ahmed said authorities could not remove individual liberty “in the name of implementing regulation” and said legal action would be pursued over what he described as illegalities by the institute authorities.
Mukherjee said he had previously taught students, screened films and directed a production at SRFTI, but was stopped at the gate when he visited to express solidarity with the protesters. He called for the democratic rights of students to be upheld and opposed what he described as the saffronisation of educational institutions. Filmmaker Indranil Roy Chowdhury, who is a regular visitor to the campus, was allowed entry.
Roy Chowdhury criticised the administration for presenting the dispute primarily as a student disciplinary matter. He said that if students had misbehaved, the reasons for their actions also needed to be examined. He added that photographic and surgical evidence showed at least a dozen students had been injured in the September 27 incident, while no one was hurt in the skirmish, according to his account.
The protests have expanded beyond SRFTI. Director Debalina Majumdar said she was participating in a protest at Jadavpur University while others were at College Street. She questioned why people who allegedly entered the SRFTI campus with knives had not been arrested a month after the incident. She also criticised the administration’s notice asking students to vacate hostels within 24 hours.
SRFTI vice-chancellor Santosh Ajmera said a state government-appointed special investigation team was examining the incidents, while the institute’s internal fact-finding committee was establishing the sequence of events. He said the police would take action according to law and that the institute had filed official complaints regarding both incidents of violence.
The Federation of Film and Television Institutes (FTII) Student Body and Association also demonstrated outside the institute gate. It demanded that the rustication orders be withdrawn and opposed the eviction of students from the campus in the name of restoring normalcy. The investigations by the state SIT and SRFTI’s internal committee remain the next formal steps in the dispute.
