– Mita Mukherjee 

Tensions gripped the campus of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata, on Sunday following a clash between students and members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), an RSS-affiliated organisation. Several students were allegedly assaulted by ABGP members.

The trouble began after students objected to an ABGP programme, saying that the auditorium where the event was being held had never previously been used for programmes organised by groups owing allegiance to any political organisation.

Police intervened and cordoned off the spot where the incident took place. Two students were questioned late into the night, police sources said.

The SRFTI students’ union claimed in a statement that its members were physically attacked and verbally abused when they went to the theatre hall to protest against the event.

The union alleged that ABGP members called the students “anti-nationals” and physically attacked them, including women, with sticks and bricks, as well as kicks and punches. The students were allegedly chased through the campus, with some taking shelter in the library, where the librarian was also allegedly attacked.

The organisers also allegedly stopped an ambulance carrying injured students to a nearby private hospital for a few minutes until police intervened and escorted the vehicle.

“They called us anti-nationals, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, dimagi Naxal and jihadi. They even attacked us with punches and kicks. At one point, they also threatened female students with rape and made obscene gestures. We have never experienced such an incident inside our campus before. Our only intention was to protest against allowing outsiders to organise a political event. But the students were assaulted mercilessly,” said a student.

The students said their union is not affiliated with any political organisation.

The situation on campus was by and large normal on Monday, institute officials said. Students attended classes and no outsiders were allowed inside the campus.

However, students held several rounds of discussions on how to continue their agitation peacefully against the use of the institute auditorium for political events.

ABGP members, however, denied attacking students and lodged a complaint with the police alleging that students had torn banners and posters of “Bharat Mata”.

ABGP vice-president Pankaj Roy, a former college principal, said he wondered how such students deserved to study at a premier institute like SRFTI.

“After witnessing the incident, I wondered how some students got the opportunity to study at a reputable institute like SRFTI. Our members did not attack the students. In fact, students attacked us. We are aware of the activities of these Naxals. If these students claim to be students, then I must say there is no point in running an education system. It is our organisation’s custom to begin a programme by worshipping Bharat Mata. Is it wrong to worship Bharat Mata? Our programme had nothing to do with politics. The event was held to address problems faced by common consumers and provide them with legal aid if they needed it,” Roy told EducationWorld.

Jayabrata Das, a graduate of the institute who visited the campus at the time of the incident, opposed ABGP’s remarks.

SRFTI offers courses in six streams and selects only 12 students in each stream every year through a rigorous screening process.

“Students from all over India apply for the courses, and the selection process is rigorous. Thousands of candidates apply, of whom only 12 secure seats in each department. So one can understand that only the most deserving candidates can study at this premier institute,” Das told EducationWorld.

Several filmmakers, including Anurag Kashyap and Srijit Mukherjee, condemned the alleged attack on the students.

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