34 days on, impasse continues at SRFTI amid student-authority face-off

Students of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) hold banners and posters of Bhagat Singh during a protest march against an alleged attack on campus students in Kolkata, West Bengal. File. | Photo Credit: PTI The impasse is continuing at the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI) for over a month as students face an authority crackdown and a face-off continues; classes remain suspended, as alumni stand in solidarity with the protestors. “Students have been peacefully protesting in SRFTI to put forth their demands for years, and a sit-in in front of the VC’s office has always been part of it. But this VC felt threatened by the students,” Nachiket, general secretary of the SRFTI students’ union, said on Saturday (October 31) at a press meeting in Kolkata. He added that the authorities have refused to negotiate. “We started this movement to demand basic accountability from the authorities about the attack on the students, but no one ever took accountability,” Blossom Hazarika, president of the SRFTI students’ union, said. Meanwhile, an FIR has also been filed against the SRFTI student union vice-president Shubham Waydande for allegedly assaulting the Vice-Chancellor. He is one of the six students who were rusticated by the institute. The campus has remained tense for 34 days as the face-off between the authorities and students continued. Parents of the SRFTI students have also written a letter raising concerns about the safety of their children inside the campus. “The allegation that the Institute failed to address students’ security concerns is absolutely false and fake,” a statement shared by the VC, Santosh Ajmeera on Saturday said. He also said that they will continue to engage in dialogue with the students and hear their concerns. Many prominent film and art fraternity people, including veteran actor Nassiruddin Shah, musician TM Krishna, actor Riddhi Sen, and many others, have come out in support of the students’ movement. However, the Bengali film industry has largely remained silent on the issue. In the past week, several Kolkata Police personnel have been deployed on the premises. The gates of SRFTI have been barricaded. “Police personnel continued to occupy the entrance of the administration building. They were also seen continuously patrolling the campus, particularly around the hostel‘s premises,” a statement from the students said on Saturday (October 31, 2026).“Punitive measures on students be withdrawn. Immediate withdrawal of the police from the SRFTI campus,” the SRFTI alumni association said on Saturday (October 31, 2026).Previously, the SRFTI faculty had also urged the authorities to withdraw the police forces from the campus. The impasse began on September 27 when violence broke out on the film institute’s campus as a right-wing RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) held an event on the campus and clashed with students. Several students were left injured in the clashes. Two weeks later, six students of the institute were rusticated on October 15, for allegedly vandalising the VC’s office and manhandling him. Students have repeatedly denied these allegations. Since then, the hostels and classrooms of the college have been shut down for students. Students allege that since this is a residential campus where students from across the country stay and study, it has caused them major trouble, as many failed to travel back home during the holidays. Several students have camped under a makeshift tent inside the campus during this period. Students have been sitting on an indefinite strike and demanding safety inside the campus against attack by outsiders. They have also demanded the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera for failing to provide the students a safe environment inside the campus. Published - November 01, 2026 03:02 am IST