A week after clashes at Kolkata’s SRFTI over an RSS-linked outfit’s event on the campus, tension flared up at the film institute again on Sunday evening as members of a Hindu outfit hurled bricks and bottles at the students from outside.
Members of the Bangiyo Hindu Jagaran Manch (BHJM), who held a protest march, alleging insults to Swami Vivekananda and Bharat Mata by SRFTI students, also scuffled with the police as they tried to enter the SRFTI campus, leaving some of the policemen injured.
According to students, they wrote to Kolkata Police and the West Bengal government on Saturday, asking them not to allow Bangiyo Hindu Jagaran Manch to hold the march, and to deploy adequate police personnel for their safety and security.
A similar letter was sent to Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw by students of FTII Pune, SRFTI Kolkata, and FTII Itanagar, expressing serious concerns over the security of students at the institute’s Kolkata campus in the aftermath of the September 27 clash on the campus.
On Sunday, members of the Bangiyo Hindu Jagaran Manch reached the gates of the SRTFI on the EM Bypass and tried to enter the campus. They shouted slogans against the institute, calling the students of SRTFI “Naxalites”. “They must be thrown out. They have insulted Bharat Maa. We will not tolerate this. They either have to love India or have to leave India,” shouted a protester.
Inside the campus, the students and teachers were seen deflecting the bottles and bricks thrown at them by protesters and chanting slogans like “Go Back”, “No entry to fascists”.
A student of the SRFTI alleged that the protesters tore down the pictures of Dr BR Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi and instead put pictures of Bharat Maa on the gates of the institute.
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In a letter to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, the students wrote, “We have been informed that a rally organised by the Hindu Jagran Manch is proposed to take place on October 4 at 4 pm, approximately 800 metres from the main gate of the SRFTI. This comes barely a week after the violent confrontation on the SRFTI campus, in which several students and members of the institute community were injured… In the present circumstances, the proposed rally in such close proximity to the institute has understandably caused serious concern among the students. The SRFTI students are presently engaging with the concerned authorities to seek that the rally not be permitted within the periphery of the institute.”
Last Sunday, a group of students objected to an event of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat, an RSS-linked outfit, on the campus, leading to clashes. The students’ union of the SRFTI said that members of ABGP assaulted students and teachers and called them “anti-nationals”, urban naxals and terrorists. A day later, three FIRs were registered on Monday – two against “unknown students” and one against “unknown persons”.
Taking suo motu cognizance of the incident, the Kolkata Police filed an FIR against unknown students. Another FIR, registered on a complaint filed by Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), the RSS-linked outfit, also named “unknown students”. Only the FIR, based on a complaint lodged by SRFTI Dean (Film) Sukanta Majumder, was filed against “unknown persons”.
All three FIRs more or less include BNS sections of wrongful restraint, assault on public servants, voluntarily causing harm, and criminal intimidation. It was alleged that ABGP members wrongfully restrained students and two faculty members of the institute, voluntarily caused hurt, insulted women students’ modesty, and also threatened them.
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Two days later, the BJP government in the state formed a six-member Special Investigation Team to probe the September 27 violence on the campus.
Tanusree Bose is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Kolkata. Her work focuses sharply on the complex administrative, political, and judicial developments across West Bengal, establishing her as an authoritative voice in regional news coverage.
Experience
Current Role: Reports for the prestigious national daily, The Indian Express, providing her content with a high level of Trustworthiness.
Geographical Expertise: Provides focused, in-depth coverage of West Bengal, demonstrating an intimate knowledge of the state's news and political nuances.
Core Authority: Her reporting portfolio highlights deep Expertise in crucial, often sensitive, beats, including:
State Politics and Governance: Covering the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), opposition strategies (BJP), and internal political controversies.
Judicial and Administrative Affairs: Closely monitoring key developments in the Calcutta High Court, particularly major rulings related to employment, education, and social issues.
Education Sector: Extensive reporting on significant controversies, such as teacher recruitment irregularities and administrative actions by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE).
Social & Electoral Issues: Covering public events, community tensions (e.g., religious/political gatherings), and election-related processes like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.
Tanusree Bose's consistent output and focus on high-stakes regional issues for a trusted media outlet underscore her status as a reliable and authoritative source for news from West Bengal. ... Read More
