SRFTI clash in Kolkata: Three FIRs filed after student-ABGP violence

Three FIRs have been registered following a clash between students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) and members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) in Kolkata on Sep 27, with several students and faculty members reportedly injured.

The ABGP had booked the institute’s main auditorium for a programme. A section of students objected to the event and questioned how an outside organisation had been allowed to hold a programme on the campus.

The disagreement escalated into a confrontation between the students and ABGP members, with both sides accusing each other of assault. Police were deployed at the institute after the situation turned tense, while additional personnel remained in the area to prevent further escalation.

Around 30 students and two faculty members were injured in the clashes. Twenty-five students were taken to Desun Hospital, where two were admitted, while the remaining students were discharged after receiving first aid. Another five students received treatment at the SRFTI campus from a team from Peerless Hospital.

The FIRs were registered late on Sep 27. Two complaints were filed by ABGP members and one by SRFTI students. Police said action would be taken against those found responsible.

Differing accounts from SRFTI students and ABGP

The SRFTI Students’ Union said students had not been informed about the programme before permission was granted. According to the union, students approached the auditorium to question the decision and were subsequently assaulted.

The students alleged that ABGP members punched and kicked them and that stones, bricks and sticks were used during the confrontation.

They also alleged that some students were chased through the campus and that a librarian was assaulted when students sought shelter in the library. These allegations have not been independently established.

ABGP members disputed the allegations and said students disrupted their programme and tore down posters and banners. An ABGP representative also claimed that members of the organisation were assaulted during the confrontation.

The organisation said it had permission to hold the awareness programme at the auditorium and maintained that the dispute began after students objected to the event and the banners and posters put up around the venue.

Police intervened as the confrontation continued, and the organisers were allowed to leave the campus. A large police presence was maintained around SRFTI after the clashes.

The incident has led both sides to seek action against those they allege were responsible for the violence. Further investigation into the matter is underway.