1 day ago
SRFTI Students Demand Resignations After Second Campus Attack
Students at the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute say they were not kept safe during two incidents in one week.
They said the first incident happened on September 27, after students questioned an event held on campus.
On Sunday, supporters of the Hindu Jagran Manch marched toward the campus and tried to get in.
The report says they threw stones and water bottles at students.
A student union leader said four students were hurt by stones.
The marchers said they wanted to respond to what they saw as disrespect toward Swami Vivekananda and Bharat Mata.
Students say they had warned the institute and asked Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to help protect them.
They are calling for the vice-chancellor and registrar to resign.
The registrar did not answer the newspaper’s calls, and the vice-chancellor was unavailable for comment.
SRFTI students demanded that Vice-Chancellor Santosh Azmera and Registrar Deepak Kumar resign, alleging failures to protect them.
Students said they were assaulted on September 27 after questioning an event organized by the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat.
On Sunday, supporters of the Hindu Jagran Manch marched toward the campus, tried to enter and threw stones and water bottles, according to the report.
A student union leader said four students were injured in the stone-pelting; the marchers said they were seeking to avenge perceived disrespect to Swami Vivekananda and Bharat Mata.
Students said they had warned institute authorities and Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw about safety concerns; calls to the registrar went unanswered and the VC was unavailable for comment.
- Who
- Students at the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, supporters of the Hindu Jagran Manch, and institute officials.
- What
- Students demanded the vice-chancellor’s and registrar’s resignations after alleging a second campus attack and failures to protect them.
- Where
- The Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute campus.
- When
- The reported incidents took place on September 27 and the following Sunday; the vice-chancellor issued a statement on October 1.
- Why
- Students alleged the institute failed to protect them; Hindu Jagran Manch supporters said they sought to avenge perceived disrespect to Swami Vivekananda and Bharat Mata.
Students’ account
Marchers’ stated position
Campus incidents
Students’ account
Students said outsiders attacked them on campus twice in a week and alleged the administration failed to protect them.
Marchers’ stated position
Hindu Jagran Manch supporters said they wanted to avenge what they described as students’ disrespect toward Swami Vivekananda and Bharat Mata during the September 27 programme.
Institute safety
Students’ account
Students said they warned institute authorities that another march could threaten their safety and called for the vice-chancellor and registrar to resign.
Marchers’ stated position
The vice-chancellor had said on October 1 that the campus situation was normal and urged students to return to theory classes; he was unavailable for comment when contacted.
Key facts
- Institution
- Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI)
- First reported incident
- September 27, following a campus programme organized by the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat
- Second reported incident
- On Sunday, Hindu Jagran Manch supporters marched toward the campus and attempted to enter
- Reported injuries
- A student union leader said four students were injured in stone-pelting
- Students’ demand
- Resignations of Vice-Chancellor Santosh Azmera and Registrar Deepak Kumar
- Minister contacted
- Students said they wrote to Union information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw about campus safety
- Response from institute officials
- The registrar did not respond to calls and messages; the vice-chancellor was attending an internal meeting and unavailable
Quotes
SRFTI student union leader
A student union leader who said students had warned SRFTI authorities about safety concerns.
“On Saturday, we wrote to the SRFTI authorities saying that students had already experienced violence involving outsiders on September 27. We told them, referring to the march by the Hindu Jagran Manch, that it was the responsibility of the administration and the concerned authorities to prevent any situation that could further threaten students’ safety. Still, they failed us.”
telegraphindia.com
“The new VC, Santosh Azmera, in a statement issued on October 1, said that the situation on the campus was now normal and urged students to return to their theory classes. If the situation was normal, then how could supporters of the Hindu Jagran Manch attack students again? Four of our students were injured in the stone-pelting.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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