Kolkata: At least 70 first-year students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, who have not received hostel accommodation on campus, could not return to their paying guest lodgings or messes on Sunday night due to fear of attacks.Despite being a residential campus, no fresher in the 23rd batch (Film wing) and 9th batch (Electronic & Digital Media) has been provided with hostel accommodation. Those living in rented spaces outside the campus face constant fear of assault by local hoodlums, many of whom reportedly joined external stone-pelters on Sunday evening.Addressing SRFTI’s severe infrastructure crunch, Students’ Union president Blossom Hazarika explained that the campus currently houses around six batches despite being originally built for only three. Pointing out that many in two consecutive batches admitted over the past six months remain without rooms, Hazarika noted, “Even if all the backlog is cleared, we will still be short of accommodation for 100 students, despite a new wing added a few years ago.”Hazarika added, “Proposals for a new hostel were submitted three years ago. Student unions have changed, and we’ve been told the plan has been revised thrice. First-year students now have to sign an agreement stating that they can’t demand a hostel seat. Student union members have to reach out to brokers and share their numbers with those forced to find housing outside.”The most recent 23rd batch for the film wing has a capacity of 72 students, though only 65 have joined in end-Aug. Meanwhile, the EDM wing’s 9th batch—which too joined then —has a capacity of 42 students. An earlier batch, comprising the 22nd film batch and the 8th EDM batch, joined in Dec 2025. While a few female students from this Dec batch received hostel accommodation, the rest were forced to find housing outside the campus.The freshers have been deeply unsettled by Sunday’s violence, with several students who recently rented rooms in nearby areas like Ajoynagar, Patuli, and Survey Park now living in fear of being targeted by outsiders from Sahid Smriti Colony or Patuli, who were allegedly involved in the stone pelting.Expressing deep concern for their safety, a local house owner told TOI, “These students have shifted to Kolkata just a month or so back. They don’t speak Bengali well either. We got scared when we saw images of the attack on campus and advised them not to leave the campus .”Freshers who stayed off campus on Sunday and are currently living in rented accommodations have been advised to remain indoors and avoid any potential altercations. “These students go out and have their meals. It is worrying if they are targeted and attacked by hoodlums once they go out now. That’s why I have advised my tenant – a fresher – to stay indoors,” said the house owner.Director Anirban Datta, the vice president of SRFTI’s alumni association, told TOI that student fear is palpable on campus. “One actress who had come to the campus to do some project with the students was chased till New Town on a bike. The outsiders took photos of students and zoomed in on their faces. They have all been marked and are worried about their security.Cinematographer Modhura Palit, director Avijit Sen and I from the alumni have come down to the campus to ensure that we can mobilise pan-India support against the vandalism,” Datta said.A faculty member said he spoke with first-year students in his department, noting, “They have just joined SRFTI and don’t come from backgrounds where they witness such attacks. Even those on campus fear that the security personnel on campus are not equipped enough if further attacks happen. Statements of some political leaders against SRFTI students are making them fear more, thinking that perpetrators have their blessings.”
