Kolkata Police has formed a special investigation team to probe clashes at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute campus, where a programme organised by the Akhil Bharat Grahak Panchayat led to a confrontation between students, event participants and police. The team is required to submit its first report to the government by 1 October 2026.
According to the order reported by Bartaman Patrika, the special investigation team will work under the overall supervision of Kunal Agarwal, the additional commissioner in charge of the Kolkata Police Detective Department. Its members include Detective Department Deputy Commissioner Sparsh Nilangi, West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department Deputy Superintendent of Police Kaushik Ghosh, Anti-Rowdy Section Assistant Commissioner Salil Roy, Eastern Suburban Division Assistant Commissioner Tushar Kanti Ghosh and Detective Department Inspector Hirak Dalpati.
The order also allows the team to involve other officers and personnel from the West Bengal Police Directorate and Kolkata Police Directorate if required. The first report is expected to record the investigation’s progress and will be submitted to the government within the stated deadline.
The incident began on the previous Sunday during a programme organised by the Akhil Bharat Grahak Panchayat at the film institute campus. The organisers reportedly said they had obtained the necessary permission for the event. The student union, however, claimed that it had not been informed about the programme in advance.
The situation deteriorated around midday after a section of students allegedly put up posters outside the Main Theatre objecting to permission for the programme. A verbal confrontation reportedly followed and later escalated into physical clashes. Students alleged that objectionable remarks were made against them and that some students were assaulted.
The programme organisers made counter-allegations, claiming that several cars and buses carrying their workers and supporters had been stopped inside the campus for a prolonged period. They said women were among the people inside the vehicles. Supporters of the organisation later gathered outside the campus as the dispute over the blocked vehicles added to the tension.
A large Kolkata Police contingent reached the institute, accompanied by senior officers, to control the situation. Police personnel eventually entered the campus by climbing over the gate. An allegation also emerged that a student was assaulted in the presence of police officers.
The special investigation team’s work will therefore cover competing accounts about event permissions, prior communication with students, the confrontation near the Main Theatre, the alleged assaults and the handling of vehicles inside the campus. The team’s first government report is due by 1 October 2026.
