‘This is not a peaceful protest’: SRFTI VC defends midnight police entry

Kolkata: A midnight police deployment has brought tensions at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) into sharper focus, with faculty members urging the administration to withdraw personnel from the campus and resolve the escalating dispute through dialogue.

Around 60 police personnel entered the institute premises at 11.30 pm on Tuesday, reportedly following a torchlight march and the burning of an effigy by students. 

The entry, described as unprecedented in the institute's 30-year history, sparked a fresh confrontation between the administration and the students' union over law enforcement's presence on campus.

The incident has exposed a widening divide over how the institute should respond to student protests, with the administration citing safety and property concerns, while the students' union has accused it of using the unrest to justify surveillance and militarising an academic space.

VC cites threat to campus safety, defends police deployment

Vice-chancellor Santosh Ajmera defended the decision to call the police, arguing that the gathering could not be treated as a peaceful demonstration, particularly with people from outside the student community allegedly joining the protest.

‘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,’ Ajmera said.

He maintained that the situation could seriously damage institutional property and put people living and working on campus at risk.

The VC also referred to earlier incidents involving alleged vandalism, intimidation and physical abuse directed at him.

These incidents led to the rustication of six students, he said, explaining that the administration considered police intervention necessary to protect the institution and its occupants.

‘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.

The administration's position, however, has drawn strong opposition from the students' union, which views the deployment as an excessive response to dissent.

Students' union condemns midnight entry, faculty seek withdrawal of cops

The SRFTI Students' Union has strongly condemned the entry of police personnel into the campus, rejecting the administration's characterisation of the protest as a threat that warranted such intervention.

The union argued that democratic dissent and student resistance were being portrayed as security concerns to legitimise surveillance and the militarisation of the institution.

It also questioned the administration's response to earlier instances in which students had allegedly faced attacks and threats to their safety.

Insisting that a film school must remain a space for critical thinking, artistic experimentation, political debate and democratic dissent, the union opposed any move towards permanent police deployment on campus.

It called for accountability, equal protection for students and an immediate end to what it described as surveillance and militarisation.

The controversy intensified on Wednesday, when faculty members held a day-long meeting with the VC to discuss campus safety and student welfare. The meeting reportedly saw altercations and walkouts before faculty put their concerns in writing.

In a letter to the registrar, more than 30 faculty members urged the administration to withdraw police personnel, resolve the impasse through dialogue and restore all hostel amenities in full.

The communication has supported the students' union in its opposition to the police deployment.

However, the faculty members stopped short of endorsing the students' demand to revoke the rustication of the six students, a key issue that continues to divide the campus.

The faculty also expressed reservations about representing the institute at external forums while the concerns remained unresolved.

‘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,’ the letter stated.

The faculty's position also meant rejecting plans to represent SRFTI at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa until the concerns were addressed.

Effigy burning draws criticism even as campus tensions persist

While opposition to the police deployment has brought together sections of the faculty and the students' union, the students' mode of protest has not received unanimous support.

The torchlight march and the burning of an effigy have prompted concerns among some faculty members, who believe that such demonstrations can pose a physical risk even when intended to express dissent.

One faculty member defended the right to protest but questioned the decision to involve fire in the demonstration, warning that an injury could have serious consequences for the administration.

The disagreement highlights competing concerns: the students' right to dissent, the administration's responsibility to protect people and property, and the faculty's demand for a resolution that doesn't rely on a sustained police presence.

With the faculty seeking the withdrawal of police personnel and the students continuing to press for the reversal of the rustication orders, the dispute remains unresolved.

The administration's justification for the midnight deployment and the union's objections have left the institute grappling with questions about campus security, student welfare and the boundaries of protest within an academic institution.