Sunday, September 27, saw the campus of the Kolkata-based Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) turn into a warzone where students clashed with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), a right-wing consumer group.

Several injuries were reported in the violence that allegedly erupted over a programme organised by the ABGP inside the institute's premises.

Students alleged that females were threatened with rape, protesters were assaulted, and an ambulance carrying injured students was stopped during the violence.

However, ABVP state media in-charge Ananta Barui countered, claiming that the SFI and 'extreme left-wing groups’ disrupted their authorised event, tore posters of Swami Vivekananda and brought outsiders into the campus.

Speaking to Mathrubhumi English, Suchana Saha, a 14th-batch Animation Cinema student, alleged that women students and faculty members were subjected to rape threats, foul language and slurs during the confrontation.

'All female students were given rape threat, used foul languages, slangs by the goons,' Saha alleged.

Saha recalled an alleged remark made to her directly, 'You are trying to be too secular', and said students were also told they were 'too educated' to face real life.

She alleged that women students and faculty members tried to persuade women who had come with the ABGP group to return home safely.

However, according to Saha, they refused to leave and were receiving phone calls and instructions about the next course of action.

Saha also alleged that police personnel told students that 'instructions are coming from above' and that stopping those involved was not in the police's hands. Mathrubhumi English could not independently verify the claim.

Hemanth, a 14th-batch alumnus from the Editing department, said he went to the institute after learning about the alleged assault.

He said SRFTI had a history of not allowing programmes affiliated with political parties inside its campus and alleged that students were not informed about the ABGP programme being held inside the Main Theatre.

According to Hemanth, students who learnt about the programme went to the venue with placards to protest.

He alleged that people associated with the event, who he claimed were present in large numbers, then beat the students, chased them, ripped their clothes and attacked some with knives.

Hemanth said the student body was subsequently informed and the organisers and the programme were removed from the Main Theatre.

He also claimed that people who had allegedly assaulted students were caught. He alleged that police were informed but were unwilling to give guarantees to the students. The students then staged a protest demanding action, he said.

According to Hemanth, people began gathering outside the campus gates, throwing stones and threatening students with rape and death while demanding that those accused of assault be allowed to leave. He claimed the students did not retaliate despite several of them being injured.

Hemanth further alleged that an ambulance carrying injured students was stopped by vehicles outside the campus.

He claimed those involved demanded that the alleged assaulters be allowed to leave before the ambulance could proceed. He said police eventually pushed students away around 8-9 pm to allow those people to leave.

Debasish Sen Sharma, HOD, Electronic and Digital Media with Specialisation in Writing, described Sunday's incident as 'most unprecedented'.

'The students were protesting against the event, and then the organisers suddenly started beating them, chasing them and assaulting them,' Sen Sharma said.

He alleged that weapons were used against students and that their shirts were torn.

He further claimed that after the organisers were driven outside the campus, they threw stones back inside and abused male and female students.

Sen Sharma alleged that the incident appeared planned and said the programme was part of an RSS affiliation. He condemned what he described as an attack on a premier institution.

ABVP's stand: Blame SFI and extreme left-wing groups

Barui rejected the allegations against ABVP and said the organisation was not responsible for the incident. He said ABGP was a branch organisation of ABVP and that ABVP supported the programme.

He alleged that SFI and 'extreme left-wing groups' came from outside and disrupted the authorised event.

He accused them of going on a rampage, using abusive language, tearing down posters of Swami Vivekananda and bringing outsider students into the campus.

Barui also alleged that the college authorities did not take responsibility for the incident and had not taken solid action against what he described as the left-wing groups involved.

He said there had been no response from the college administration yet. ABGP has separately rejected the students' account and alleged that protesters disrupted its programme, tore down banners and posters and assaulted its members.

The organisation has also claimed that some of its members were injured during the confrontation.

The dispute over the event has also brought the alleged tearing of posters of Swami Vivekananda to the centre of the competing accounts.

While ABVP and ABGP have accused the protesters of damaging posters, students have maintained that they had gathered to oppose the programme being held inside the institute.

‘There is no place for violence on campus’

Sourabh Saha, a 14th-batch SRFTI alumnus from the Sound Recording & Design department and a Mumbai-based sound designer and re-recording mixer, called for an investigation into the violence.

'Having spent nearly six years at SRFTI for my diploma, it breaks my heart to hear about the violence against students on campus. SRFTI has always been a place where students should feel safe to experiment, create, and speak freely.

There is no place for violence on campus. I hope there’s a fair investigation, real accountability for those involved, and that steps are taken so this never happens again, there or anywhere else,' he said.

‘Attempt to dismantle spaces of discussion’

SFI All-India Joint Secretary Dipsita Dhar alleged that the incident was part of a wider attack on educational institutions.

Dhar alleged that those in power did not believe in the right to education or in people's right to think, learn and question authority. She said educational institutions known for their academic achievements and intellectual environment had increasingly become targets.

'The attack on universities, both in Jadavpur and SRFTI, is just another attempt to dismantle the spaces of discussion, thinking, questioning and exercising the right to become a citizen,' Dhar added.

She said protests were being held at university campuses against the SRFTI incident and that SFI was considering larger mobilisation involving students, citizens and others who believe educational institutions should remain spaces for learning and discussion.

‘BJP and RSS have inherent aversion to educational institutions’

Kolkata-based director, writer, lyricist and actor Saurav Palodhi, known for his movies such as Onko Ki Kothin (2025) and Onekdin Por (2026), also reacted to the incident.

'The BJP and RSS have an inherent aversion to educational institutions. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that where true education thrives, the BJP cannot coexist.

The struggle against fascist tendencies will ultimately be waged through education, a reality that students across the nation are actively proving today,' Palodhi said.

'I stand in solidarity with the upcoming generation of film students and aspiring filmmakers who represent our future. Furthermore, I express profound disappointment regarding the silence of standard film industry peers, who continue to remain mute spectators even in the wake of such alarming incidents,' he added.

The violence left several people injured. The Times of India reported that around 30 students and two faculty members were injured, with 25 students taken to Desun Hospital and two admitted. The circumstances surrounding the confrontation, including the allegations of assault, rape threats, the ambulance incident, police conduct, and the alleged role of outsiders, remain disputed between the two sides.