Tension prevailed at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata after a confrontation broke out between students and members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat during an event held on the institute’s campus on Sunday.
Several students were reportedly injured in the clash, while allegations were also raised that some faculty members were manhandled.
Students Question Presence of Outside Organisation
According to students, the West Bengal chapter of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat had hired the institute’s auditorium to hold an event.
A section of students questioned the presence of an outside organisation on the campus and objected to the nature of the programme. The disagreement reportedly escalated into a confrontation between students and people associated with the organisation.
Students alleged that some participants delivered provocative speeches and that the situation turned violent when they protested.
According to the media report, members of the organisation assaulted students during the confrontation. Students also alleged that some were slapped and dragged by their arms and that female students were among those allegedly assaulted.
Some faculty members were also reportedly manhandled.
Students Begin Sit-In Protest
Following the confrontation, students shut the institute’s gates and began a sit-in protest on the campus.
A sizeable police contingent, led by a Deputy Commissioner, subsequently reached the institute to bring the situation under control.
Students questioned how outsiders were allowed to enter the institute premises for the event and alleged that they were subjected to derogatory labels when they raised objections.
“They entered our campus and called us anti-nationals, Naxalites and terrorists. They are beating students and assaulting women. They are even using knives to attack. They are calling us Bangladeshis,” a female student told the media.
Another student said, “They have no shame. They are beating us and dragging us out by our arms. They entered our campus and assaulted us. This is our institute; we study here. They come from outside to beat us and then call us terrorists?”
Organisation Rejects Students’ Allegations
Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat rejected the students’ allegations and offered a different account of the incident.
According to the organisation, it had formally booked the SRFTI auditorium by paying the required fee and was conducting its programme when a group of students allegedly disrupted the event.
A member of the organisation claimed that students tore down posters and banners associated with the programme and that several people were injured during the confrontation.
“We booked the hall by paying the fee. Four people have already been hospitalised. They smashed a portrait of Swami Vivekananda. All the students there were intoxicated,” the organisation’s representative told the media.
Police Reach Campus
The police presence on the campus subsequently helped prevent further escalation.
The exact number of injured students, faculty members and organisation supporters, as well as whether any formal complaints or arrests have been made, was not available in the information provided.
