Student clash breaks out at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata

A clash broke out between students and members of the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) at the Central government-run Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata on Sunday, leaving several people injured.

A large police contingent was deployed on the institute's campus to bring the situation under control.

The clash erupted after a section of students objected to an event organised by the ABGP's Bengal branch at the institute's main community hall.

The students alleged that a political programme was being held inside the government-run institute and staged a protest against it.

The situation later escalated into a clash between the students and ABGP members, according to The New Indian Express (TNIE).

The protesting students also questioned the institute registrar about how outsiders associated with the ABGP were allowed to enter the campus.

According to allegations, ABGP members attacked the protesters and beat them up. Several professors were also allegedly assaulted when they tried to intervene and protect students.

The SRFTI students’ union lodged a complaint with the institute registrar, seeking “serious” action according to procedure and demanding that those responsible be held accountable. The union also sought adequate security arrangements on campus.

An Electronic and Digital Media (EDM) student said that police were clearing vehicles belonging to the ABGP group from inside the campus while people gathered outside the gate allegedly pelted students with stones.

“One of the accused who has been detained is the same person who chased me and hit me on the head. He also tore the clothes of several students,” the student said.

The students’ union alleged that the violence involved punches, kicks, stones, bricks and sticks. It also alleged that students, including women, were verbally abused and called “anti-national” and “cockroaches” before being physically attacked.

The union further alleged that students were chased through the campus, forcing some to take shelter in the library, where the librarian was also allegedly assaulted.

Videos circulating on social media showed a man kicking another person, while another appeared to show a person, purportedly a student, with an injury. TNIE could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.

Tensions also escalated outside the institute, where a group gathered near the gate and allegedly threw bricks at students inside the campus.

The incident comes after clashes in August between left-leaning student groups and the ABVP, an RSS-affiliated organisation, at Jadavpur University over a general meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union.

Video footage from the Jadavpur incident showed groups entering the campus, vandalising property and setting flags and banners on fire. The standoff continued the following day, with stones and eggs thrown into the campus. The emblem at Gate No. 4, designed by legendary artist Nandalal Bose, was also damaged.