Kolkata: For the first time in the 30-year history of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), some 60 cops entered the campus at 11.30 pm on Tuesday following reports of students holding a torchlight march and burning an effigy. This triggered a dispute between the institute administration and the students’ union over the police deployment – a move that made over 30 faculty members issue a written appeal to the registrar to withdraw police personnel.Defending the cop entry, vice-chancellor Santosh Ajmera said: “This can’t be called a peaceful protest, where students are joined by others. They can’t just take law in their hands and try to hijack the entire institution. This incident had a huge possibility of major damage to the institutional property and lives on the campus.” He cited prior incidents of vandalism, intimidation, and physical abuse of the VC, which resulted in the rustication of six students. “To safeguard the interest of institution and safety and wellbeing of each and everyone of us on the campus, it was felt necessary and urgent to call the police inside the campus late at night,” Ajmera said.
SRFTI Students’ Union strongly condemned the midnight entry of cops. Rejecting the administration’s narrative that framed democratic dissent and student resistance as threats to justify “surveillance and militarisation”, the union contrasted the heavy-handed police response with the administration’s inaction when students previously faced attacks and safety threats. Asserting that “film schools must remain spaces for critical thought, artistic experimentation, political debate and democratic dissent” rather than “police barracks”, the union vehemently opposed any attempt to normalise “permanent police deployment on campus”, demanding accountability, equal protection, and an immediate end to “surveillance” and “militarisation” of the institutions.On Wednesday, the faculty members held a day-long meeting with the VC to express their concern regarding campus safety and student welfare. After prolonged discussions, which also saw altercations and walkouts, the faculty urged the registrar to withdraw police personnel, resolve the situation through dialogue, and fully restore all hostel amenities. This mail has come as a shot in the arm to the student union members.However, faculty members avoided referencing the students’ demand to revoke the rustication of six students. Their silence is significant because the students have been insisting on a rollback of the rustication orders.“In light of the current circumstances, we believe it would be appropriate to defer our representation of SRFTI at external forums until these concerns have been adequately addressed,” their letter to the registrar mentioned, rejecting plans to represent SRFTI at IFFI in Goa.However, the students’ decision to burn effigies or hold a torchlight march has not got blanket support from all. While some felt it is a common form of expressing dissent, others believed that the act could potentially injure anyone. “Protest is fine but this is literally playing with fire. Even parents would not spare the administration if a student got injured,” said a faculty member.
