Kolkata, Oct 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) Amid the festive mood surrounding Durga Puja, students of the Kolkata-based Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) have decided to continue their protests through the festival days, demanding the withdrawal of the expulsion of six students held guilty by the institute’s management over a series of incidents on the campus.
Amid the continuing tension, classes at SRFTI have been suspended until November 13. Students residing in the hostels have been directed to vacate the campus within 24 hours, while mess services have also been suspended.
The disciplinary action relates to the September 27 clashes between members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) and students on the institute premises. The six students were also held guilty of allegedly physically heckling SRFTI officials, including Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera, ransacking his office and writing objectionable graffiti on campus walls.
Representatives of the SRFTI Students’ Union maintained that the expulsions were based on groundless allegations, claiming that the students had been holding peaceful protests within the campus following the September 27 clashes.
“We are taking preparations to legally challenge these expulsions. At the same time, we will continue with our protest even during the Durga Puja days,” a students’ union representative said.
The vice-chancellor’s office, however, rejected the allegations that the expulsions were unjustified. It maintained that disciplinary action had been taken following serious violations of institute rules, including the ransacking of the vice-chancellor’s office.
The September 27 clashes broke out while ABGP was holding a programme on the institute premises. The confrontation between the organisers and students left several people injured. Following the incident, students began preventing outsiders from entering the campus and boycotted classes, demanding adequate security.
The situation took a further turn on October 4, when another Hindutva outfit staged a protest outside the institute’s main gate. Following the demonstration, students launched a sit-in outside the administrative building, demanding the removal of the vice-chancellor.
The sit-in protest continues, with both sides yet to reach an amicable resolution to the standoff. On the afternoon of its sixth day, students alleged that the authorities were attempting to suppress their movement instead of conducting an impartial investigation into the campus attack and filing an FIR against those accused.
Students also accused the management of projecting an impression of normalcy without addressing their security concerns, resolving the hostel crisis or examining allegations of discrimination.
With the students determined to sustain their agitation through the Puja holidays and legal action against the expulsions being considered, the standoff has cast a shadow over academic activities at the film institute.
Source: IANS
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