Kolkata, Sept. 28 -- The usually busy Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) wore a deserted look on Monday, with tension palpable a day after a clash between students and members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) triggered violence on the campus.
Police were deployed outside the institute as students took out a silent march in protest against the incident.
The violence quickly sent ripples through the film fraternity, with Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap among the first to condemn the clash. Several Bengali filmmakers and artistes also voiced concern, adding to the growing chorus of disquiet over the incident.
Higher Education minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay condemned violence at an educational institution and said the police investigation would identify those responsible.
He objected to the alleged desecration of images of Swami Vivekananda and Bharat Mata. Union minister Sukanta Majumder called for an investigation, saying ideological differences should not justify violence or disrespect towards historical figures.
With tensions still simmering, police have registered three FIRs in connection with the clash.
Kashyap shared the SRFTI Students' Union statement on Instagram and wrote: "This is what they stole the votes for in Bengal. This and so much more."
Filmmaker Srijit Mukherji strongly condemned the violence and called for the perpetrators to be brought to book. Actor Ritwik Chakraborty questioned how a political organisation was allowed to hold a meeting inside a film institute.
Kaushik Ganguly said SRFTI and FTII had witnessed agitations earlier over students' own grievances, but Sunday's incident was different. The filmmaker urged authorities to exercise greater caution before allowing outside organisations to use national educational institutions.
Pradip Bhattacharya, Subrata Sen, Sudeshna Roy, Rupali Bhattacharya, Sreelekha Mitra, Amartya Ray and Sarmistha Maity were among others who condemned the incident.
Actor Riddhi Sen also criticised sections of the Bengali film industry for remaining silent over the alleged assault on students. The FTII Students' Association issued a statement expressing "unwavering support and solidarity" with SRFTI students.
Of the three FIRs, one was lodged on the complaint of SRFTI Dean (Film) Sukanta Majumder against unknown persons. His complaint alleges that students and two faculty members were wrongfully restrained, assaulted with dangerous means, and that women students were insulted and threatened.
A second FIR was registered on the complaint of Anjan Sinha, a representative of ABGP, alleging that a group of SRFTI students gheraoed members of the organisation inside the hall, wrongfully restrained them, abused them and made gestures allegedly insulting the modesty of women members.
The third FIR was registered on the complaint of Koushick Bose, Additional Officer-in-Charge of Panchasayar police station. His complaint alleges that a group of unknown students restrained police personnel, manhandled them while they were performing their duties and damaged a window pane of a government vehicle.
SRFTI Students' Union, however, alleged that ABGP members attacked students after they protested against the event, with members allegedly calling them "anti-national", "Bangladeshis", "cockroaches", "urban Naxals" and "terrorists".
The students' body also alleged that women students were manhandled. About 30 SRFTI students and faculty members were injured; two of them are admitted in a private Hospital and rest released after first aid.
ABGP, however, denied the allegations, claiming its members were attacked after students disrupted the programme and tore down posters and banners.
The organisation said it had obtained permission and paid Rs 15,000 to hire the auditorium, adding that four of its members were hospitalised.
Meanwhile, SRFTI student Anamika said students strongly opposed being branded "anti-national" or "urban Naxals".
"I am from Uttar Pradesh. I have seen this kind of hooliganism in UP, but now they have brought it here too. The plague has started. No one has the right to attack students like this. Women were not spared either," she said.
The Roopkala Kendra Alumni Association also issued a statement expressing solidarity with SRFTI students and condemning the attack.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.