Student, RSS-linked group clash at SRFTI; Bengal minister says no one will be spared

West Bengal Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay on Monday, September 28, said no one involved in the violence at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) would be spared, a day after a clash between a section of students and members of an RSS-linked organisation on the institute campus.

The clash broke out on Sunday between students and members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), a consumer organisation associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), during a programme at the institute. Several people were injured, officials said.

“Any kind of violence in an educational institution is condemnable. It is not desirable,” Chattopadhyay told reporters after an event.

The minister also referred to visuals purportedly showing images of Swami Vivekananda and Bharat Mata being kicked during the altercation and said such behaviour would not be tolerated.

“We will change this culture in educational institutions. No Bengali student can kick a picture of Vivekananda. This culture will not be tolerated,” he said.

Chattopadhyay said police were investigating the incident and that no one involved would be spared.

Students alleged that ABGP members attacked them after they protested against the organisation's programme on the campus. The organisation, however, claimed that its event was disrupted and its members were assaulted.

ABGP state president Pankaj Roy said the organisation had obtained permission from the institute authorities to hold the programme at the auditorium and had paid Rs 15,000 for its use. The meeting began around 10 am, he said.

A section of students later objected to the presence of outsiders on the campus and questioned the authorities about allowing the organisation to hold the programme.

Student Meghraj Rao alleged that the auditorium was used for practical classes and that students protested by putting up posters. He claimed that ABGP members then came towards them and assaulted them, forcing the students to retreat towards the hostel.

Students also alleged that some teachers were injured while trying to intervene.

The Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM)'s higher education unit condemned the alleged damage to images of Vivekananda and Bharat Mata. Its Jadavpur University secretary Bhaskar Sardar said those responsible should be condemned and claimed that ABGP members had shown restraint.

The Calcutta University Teachers' Association (CUTA) also condemned the violence.

“Without thinking about who was at fault, whatever happened was completely undesirable. There is no place for such violence in the field of education,” CUTA general secretary Sagarmoy Ghosh said.

Students held a silent protest on the SRFTI campus on Monday.

Anirban Dutta, vice-president of the institute's alumni association, alleged that some people who entered the campus were carrying sticks with nails and claimed that students were injured in the incident.

Police are investigating the circumstances leading to the clash and the allegations made by both sides.

Named after filmmaker Satyajit Ray, SRFTI was established in 1995 by the Government of India and is the country's second national centre for cinema education.