കൊൽക്കത്തയിലെ സത്യജിത് റേ ഫിലിം ആൻഡ് ടെലിവിഷൻ ഇൻസ്റ്റിറ്റ്യൂട്ടിൽ (SRFTI) വീണ്ടും അക്രമം. ഹിന്ദു ജാഗരൺ മഞ്ച് പ്രവർത്തകർ പോലീസ് ബാരിക്കേഡുകൾ തകർത്ത് ക്യാമ്പസ് ഗേറ്റിലെത്തി. വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾക്ക് നേരെ കല്ലേറും ആക്രമണവുമുണ്ടായി. മുൻകൂട്ടി മുന്നറിയിപ്പ് നൽകിയിട്ടും പോലീസ് നടപടി സ്വീകരിച്ചില്ലെന്ന് വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾ ആരോപിക്കുന്നു. ക്യാമ്പസിൽ ഭീതി തുടരുന്നു.
Hindu Jagaran Manch attackers breached police barricades and reached SRFTI's gates, just a week after violence at the institute.
Students had warned authorities in advance that Sunday's mobilisation could threaten their safety, but police failed to take action.
Attackers' calls for 'retribution' have heightened concerns among students already demanding safety, transparency and accountability.
A week after violence rocked Kolkata's Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), the Hindu Jagaran Manch returned to the institute on Sunday, 4 October, ostensibly to protest the alleged 'disrespect of Bharat Mata and Swami Vivekananda'. The return of the protesters has raised fresh concerns over the safety of students and faculty, particularly after the organisation described the latest mobilisation as a response to an alleged insult and spoke of "retribution".
The students had already warned authorities that the proposed mobilisation could threaten students, staff and faculty, and had specifically urged the administration to take preventive measures. Yet the police were unable to prevent thugs from reaching the institute's gates, where they broke through barricades, tried to force open the gates and traded brickbats and bottles with people inside.
The language of "retribution" is particularly disturbing because Sunday's rally came just seven days after the earlier violence, when students had already complained about their safety.
The police had been warned that the rally would reach SRFTI. Barricades had been placed some distance from the campus and the gates had been shut. But the attackers pushed through the barricades and marched towards the institute. At the main gate, members of the Hindu Jagaran Manch shook the gates and demanded that police open them.
Students and professors had gathered inside, some wearing helmets. Students alleged that stones, bricks and water bottles were thrown into the campus. Professor Debashis Sensharma was reportedly injured by a brick. Attackers, however, alleged that students and professors also threw bottles at them and claimed that some of their members were injured.
.Kolkata SRFTI: Students claim attack by 'outsiders', at least 4 hurt. The confrontation became a shouting match between the two sides, with brickbats continuing to fly. Students also alleged that a poster of B.R. Ambedkar displayed at the gate was torn down.
The attackers said they had come in response to last Sunday's confrontation at SRFTI. One member declared, "Anti-India elements kicked images of Bharat Mata and Vivekananda. We have demonstrated the strength of nationalists."
Another protester described the gathering as the "outpouring of the common people's anger". A functionary of the organisation insisted, "Ours is a spontaneous movement. Ordinary people are seeking retribution for the insult to Bharat Mata. The Hindu Jagaran Manch bears no liability for this; we are merely activists participating in a spontaneous, unarmed protest conducted in accordance with the Constitution."
Yet the police failure to prevent the attackers from reaching the institute's gates has become a central concern for students.
A protester, furious at police action, said, "These police officers will be suspended. They are acting overzealously; they are the ones beating us. They will all be suspended within 24 hours." Police subsequently removed several attackers from the area and made arrests.
.Specially abled students protest ABVP event at Lucknow university, allege assault . The immediate trigger for Sunday's protest goes back to 27 September, when the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), an RSS-linked organisation, held a meeting at the SRFTI auditorium with the institute's permission. The programme had reportedly begun at 10.00 am.
Students objected to outsiders holding a political organisation's meeting inside the campus and questioned the registrar about why permission had been granted. According to the students, ABGP members then assaulted them, leading to a violent confrontation that continued for hours.
ABGP gave a sharply different account. Its members claimed that students had attacked them, disrupted the programme and torn images of Bharat Mata and Swami Vivekananda. They also alleged that some of their members were confined inside a vehicle.
Four separate cases were registered following the clash. The violence prompted protests from sections of the film fraternity and growing concern among students.
The state government subsequently constituted a six-member special investigation team headed by Kolkata Police joint commissioner (crime) Kunal Agarwal. The team includes senior officers from the detective department, CID and Kolkata Police.
The SIT submitted its initial six-page report to Nabanna on Thursday, 1 October. Investigators visited the campus and spoke to 20 students, faculty members and the vice-chancellor. Three ABVP members were also questioned at Panchasayar police station. Police have reportedly identified around 250 people from videos of the violence and are examining their individual roles.
. The report has not yet been made public, however, leaving students demanding transparency. A SRFTI students' leader said, "The administration cannot simply declare that the situation is 'normal' while students continue to feel unsafe and apprehensive about future incidents. We want safety, transparency and accountability -- not an announcement of normalcy while students remain afraid."
Political reactions have further exposed the sharp divide. BJP leader Sayantan Basu said, "We are surprised that a week has already passed by but not a single student from SRFTI was arrested till now. These students have not only insulted the great men like Swami Vivekananda but are running anti-social activities inside the campus. This cannot be allowed anymore. These nationalist rallies will go on till these people behave themselves."
ABGP state secretary Pankaj Roy said, "The students who are associated with such antisocial activities must be rusticated. The state government has formed an SIT and I hope they will take action very soon."
Mamata-AITC leader Pratikur Rehman, however, accused the police of failing the students. "This is a total failure on part of the police. Despite the students asking for protection in advance the police failed to stop it. This is the second day that they have attacked SRFTI and the police remained silent," he said.
Actor Badshah Moitra, associated with the CPI(M), called the development "unimaginable". "The incident had taken place seven days ago which everyone forgot. But the Hindu Jagaran Mancha has come back today to take revenge. This is a very disturbing trend," he said. He requested the BJP leaders associated with film industry to immediately look into the situation.
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