SRFTI alumni demand VC’s resignation, seek police withdrawal; announce fact-finding panel

KOLKATA: The SRFTI Alumni Association has demanded the resignation of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera, withdrawal of police personnel from the campus and intervention by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting amid the ongoing student protest. 

The association has also announced a fact-finding committee to examine the incidents of September 27 and October 4 and called for the resumption of dialogue between the administration and students.

The demands were raised at a joint press conference organised by the SRFTI Students’ Union and alumni at the Press Club, Kolkata. The event was titled ‘Save SRFTI: Conversation with Alumni and Students’.

In its press statement dated October 31, the SRFTI Alumni Association expressed solidarity with the protesting students and said they had shown endurance during a protest that had continued for more than a month. The association described the situation as a “complete breakdown of trust” between the administration and the institute’s students, faculty and staff.

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The association announced that it would constitute a fact-finding committee comprising eminent personalities from civil society. According to the statement, the committee will record the accounts of stakeholders who were present during the incidents of September 27 and October 4 and submit a report based on their statements. The association also said it would send a communication to the institute inviting it to suggest members for the committee.

The alumni association listed three demands in its statement:

• Withdrawal of punitive measures against students.
• Immediate withdrawal of police personnel from the SRFTI campus.
• Immediate resumption of dialogue between the administration and students, based on an independent inquiry into the September 27 and October 4 incidents.

Students allege police inaction on October 4

Blossom, president of the SRFTI Students’ Union, said students had initially been hopeful about the appointment of the new vice-chancellor and expected a positive beginning. However, she alleged that the administration did not take responsibility after the September 27 incident.

“When the first attack happened, we wanted the VC to be accountable, but he did not,” Blossom said at the press conference.

She alleged that some demands raised by students after the September 27 incident were initially accepted verbally but were later withdrawn. According to Blossom, students had also informed the vice-chancellor, the administration and the police about a rally planned for October 4 and warnings of possible bloodshed.

She claimed that despite these communications, no preventive action was taken by the authorities.

Blossom further alleged that students were asked to return to their hostels and remain indoors on October 4. She claimed that stone-pelting and damage to property took place on the campus that day.

The students had asked the police to impose restrictions under Section 144, but, according to Blossom, their request did not result in action. She also alleged that a faculty member was assaulted and women students were subjected to verbal abuse during the incident.

Blossom said the students decided to continue their protest because they felt they had no other option.

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Students allege bias in disciplinary action

Nachiket, general secretary of the SRFTI Students’ Union, alleged that the administration had taken disciplinary action against students instead of engaging with them through dialogue.

He said that approaching or occupying the vice-chancellor’s office to seek discussions had been a practice under previous administrations. However, he alleged that the current vice-chancellor was uncomfortable with the practice and that students had faced manhandling by people from the administration.

Nachiket also alleged that disciplinary action had disproportionately affected students from Dalit and Adivasi communities.

According to him, some student union members were rusticated for raising the slogan “Jai Bhim”. He further claimed that the students who faced rustication held important positions in the union and belonged to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.

The general secretary also raised concerns over a notice asking students to vacate the hostels within 24 hours during the Durga Puja period. He alleged that students received the notice when less than 24 hours remained and that mess services and access to basic facilities, including food and water, were stopped.

Questioning the notice, Nachiket asked how students could be expected to vacate the hostels at such short notice.

Alumnus demands VC’s exit, seeks ministry intervention

Alumnus Basab Mallick said the joint press conference was organised to express solidarity with the students. He alleged that women students had received death threats but that no FIRs had been filed in connection with the threats.

Mallick said students had trusted the vice-chancellor to take responsibility, protect the campus and uphold democratic values. He also alleged that students were injured during the incidents and that the administration had failed to act.

“We trusted him, the VC, to take accountability, to safeguard the space, trusted him to keep up the democratic values,” Mallick said.

He demanded the vice-chancellor’s resignation and called for the immediate withdrawal of police personnel from the campus. He also sought the resumption of dialogue and intervention by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Mallick further appealed to the institute’s chancellor, whom he identified as the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, to intervene in the matter.

Alumni question media reports, campus security

In its press statement, the SRFTI Alumni Association raised concerns over media reports alleging that anti-Hindu slogans had been raised during the protests. The association alleged that some reports were portraying the dispute as an SFI-versus-Hindu conflict.

It urged the vice-chancellor to issue a categorical clarification on whether the reports were true.

The association also questioned references to an “internal report” in media coverage of the incidents. According to the statement, students had repeatedly requested details of the report but had not been informed about its contents or how it was constituted.

The alumni association criticised the administration’s security arrangements, alleging that the campus had been turned into a heavily policed space with barricades and surveillance. It said students’ privacy and civil liberties were being affected and argued that they needed protection from intimidation and oppression.

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The statement also alleged that students who were injured during the incidents received show-cause notices, while those accused of entering the campus and causing disruption were not held accountable.

The association questioned whether the administration’s actions adhered to the principles of natural justice and called for the crisis to be resolved through dialogue and accountability.

The October 31 press conference comes amid continuing tensions between students and the SRFTI administration. The alumni association said its proposed fact-finding committee would seek accounts from those present during the two incidents and submit its findings to help address the impasse.