Clashes, security concerns keep SRFTI classes suspended for fortnight

Classes at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) remained suspended for the 15th consecutive day on Monday as students continued their academic boycott, demanding stronger campus security following clashes involving outside groups on 27 September and 4 October.

A spokesperson for the students’ union said the boycott would continue over alleged attempts by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-linked organisations to enter the campus and protests by outsiders near the institute’s main gate, which students said had raised concerns about their safety.

The boycott began on 27 September after tensions escalated over a programme organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), a consumer awareness group affiliated with the RSS, at an auditorium on the campus. Opposition to the event led to a clash in which several people, including two faculty members, were injured.

Tensions resurfaced on 4 October when the Bangiya Hindu Jagaran Manch staged a protest outside the institute’s main gate over the earlier incident.

Students alleged that protesters assaulted them as they made their way to the campus and hurled stones and bottles at them.

Sudip Chakraborty, a spokesperson for the students’ union, said students were dissatisfied with the administration’s response and believed that adequate steps had not been taken to address their security concerns.

Following the 4 October incident, students staged a sit-in outside the vice-chancellor’s office, seeking improved security arrangements. Chakraborty also alleged that some institute staff members and security personnel had intimidated and harassed students participating in the protest.

He added that around 150 students from outside West Bengal felt threatened amid the continuing tensions.

The students’ union is expected to convene a general body meeting shortly to discuss the situation and decide on its next course of action. The boycott will continue until the administration provides assurances on student safety and takes up the matter with the police and local authorities, the union said.

SRFTI Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera could not be reached for comment.

A senior institute official said most students had already left their hostels with the onset of the Durga Puja holidays.

In a statement issued on 5 October, the institute said it was “deeply concerned” about the incidents and reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of students.