SRFTI Classes Remain Suspended as SIT Probes Campus Violence

Classes, workshops and film-production activities at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata remain suspended as students continue their academic boycott following violence on the campus on September 27. The shutdown entered its fifth consecutive day on October 2, with students insisting that they will not return until stronger security arrangements are put in place and action is taken over the alleged assault on students.

The disruption has affected classroom teaching as well as shooting and other practical projects integral to film education. Students have demanded tighter restrictions on outsiders entering the campus and questioned the use of institute facilities by organisations not directly connected with film or academic activities. The administration has appealed to students to resume classes, saying steps are being taken to strengthen campus security.

The confrontation began over an event organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) at SRFTI's Main Theatre on September 27. The RSS-linked consumer organisation had obtained permission to use the auditorium. Students objected to an outside organisation they regarded as politically affiliated holding an event at a campus space traditionally used for film screenings and academic activities.

The protest escalated into a physical confrontation, leaving around 30 students and two faculty members injured. Students alleged that they were assaulted and subjected to political labels, while ABGP accused students of disrupting its authorised event, damaging posters and images and assaulting its members. The competing allegations remain under investigation.

The West Bengal government has constituted a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Kolkata Police Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Kunal Agarwal. Investigators have examined CCTV footage and recorded statements from students, faculty members and ABGP representatives. A preliminary report reportedly identified around 250 people in video footage for further scrutiny. As of Friday evening, no arrests had been reported.

Students have maintained that security concerns extend beyond classroom hours, particularly because some first-year students stay in rented accommodation or paying-guest facilities outside the campus. The institute has opened additional accommodation, including its Transit Hostel and two staff quarters, for some affected students.

Established by the Government of India in 1995, SRFTI is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and offers postgraduate training in direction, cinematography, editing, sound, producing and animation.

More than 100 filmmakers and artists, including Payal Kapadia, Dibakar Banerjee, Rima Das and Varun Grover, have expressed concern over the violence.

With the SIT investigation continuing and students maintaining their boycott, the immediate challenge for SRFTI is to restore academic activities while addressing demands over campus security, access control and accountability.