‘Only demanding our safety on campus’: SRFTI students’ union vice president on FIR after rustication

The Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata has filed a case against students’ union vice president Shubham Vedande for allegedly assaulting its vice chancellor. Vedande is one of six students the institute rusticated on October 15. He was rusticated for three semesters, while the other five were rusticated for two semesters each.

The campus has remained tense for the past month.

It all began on September 27, when students protested an event on campus organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat, a body affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Students and organisers clashed. On October 4, a large crowd from outside gathered at the institute’s gate and shouted slogans. There were also reports of stone-pelting and injured students. 

Students are still protesting, demanding campus security and administrative accountability. The police presence on campus has also drawn questions.

Vedande has been booked under Sections 126(2), 115(2), 121(1), 221, 351(2), 352, 324(4), 3(5) and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Vedande told Newslaundry that he and a few other students were holding a peaceful protest outside the vice chancellor’s office on October 15. The vice chancellor, he said, was already surrounded by security personnel. As far as he knows, someone threw a stone at a window, but he does not know who.

The next day, the vice chancellor said the office had been vandalised and announced that CCTV cameras would be installed. Six students were rusticated. 

According to Vedande, the students asked the vice-chancellor why the administrative gates were closed, why students were not being given access to facilities, and why rusticated students were not being allowed to meet the registrar. 

On the FIR, Vedande said: “I have come here to learn filmmaking, but raising questions and protesting against wrongdoing is also my right. We were only demanding our safety on campus.”

He claims he is being targeted for raising students’ voices. He says his parents are worried about the FIR, but they know their son is not fighting for any wrongful demand.

Registrar: Cops present to protect staff

Registrar Deepak Kumar said an FIR has been filed against one student for allegedly physically mistreating and verbally abusing the vice chancellor. On the Dean’s Council’s recommendation, that student has been rusticated for three semesters, he said.

On the police deployment, Kumar said officers were stationed to protect staff, students and faculty living on campus. He cited incidents of intimidation, physical misconduct and vandalism at the vice chancellor’s office. He added that on October 27, a sudden torchlight march by a large number of students created fear and panic on campus. The registrar named these incidents as the reason for the police presence.

Newslaundry has sent a questionnaire to the Panchasayar Police Station where the FIR has been filed. This report will be updated if a response is received.

If you’re reading this story, you’re not seeing a single advertisement. That’s because Newslaundry powers ad-free journalism that’s truly in public interest. Support our work and subscribe today.