New Delhi [India], October 22 (ANI): CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas has written to Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State (MoS) Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Tourism and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) Chairman, Suresh Gopi, seeking urgent intervention in the ongoing crisis at the Kolkata-based institute following alleged attacks on students on September 27 and October 4.
In separate letters dated October 22, Brittas expressed concern over the indefinite sit-in by students, alleging that the administration’s handling of their grievances, including disciplinary action against protesting students, had further aggravated the situation and disrupted academic activities.
According to Brittas’ letters, the first confrontation took place on September 27 when students protested an event organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) on the campus. The students alleged that they faced verbal abuse and physical attacks and were branded “anti-national” and “Cockroaches”.
In a letter to Gopi, he wrote, “The present crisis can be traced to the confrontation on 27 September, when students protesting an event organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) inside the campus complained that they were subjected to verbal abuse and physical attacks, including being branded with terms such as “anti-national” and “Cockroaches”. The confrontation was followed by a further escalation on 4 October, when members of the Hindu Jagaran Manch staged a march, during which stones and bottles were reportedly hurled towards the students. These incidents left students injured and deeply shaken.”
“Concerns have also emerged over reported attempts by the staff to dictate the language students should speak, raising serious questions about linguistic dignity and the pluralistic ethos that an educational institution must uphold. Instead of ensuring students’ safety and holding those responsible accountable, the administration’s subsequent actions - including disciplinary proceedings against student representatives - have further aggravated the situation, precipitating the ongoing academic halt and indefinite sit-in,” the letter reads.
The MP called for an independent inquiry into the two incidents, withdrawal of disciplinary action against students, including rustication orders and show-cause notices, and immediate dialogue between the administration and elected representatives of the Students’ Union.
The letters further stated that the situation escalated on October 4 when members of the Hindu Jagaran Manch staged a march, during which stones and bottles were reportedly hurled towards students, leaving some injured.
“The sequence of events, as detailed in the students’ representation, a copy of which is enclosed herewith, is deeply disturbing. Despite prior indications of the proposed rally on 4 October and threats to student safety, the administration failed to take adequate preventive measures,” he wrote in the letter addressed to both Ashwini Vaishnaw and Gopi.
Brittas also raised concerns over alleged attempts by staff members to dictate the language students should speak, as well as claims that staff were deployed to intimidate and physically remove protesting students.
He noted that six students had been rusticated and show-cause notices issued to others, alleging that disciplinary measures and threats concerning students’ academic and professional futures had compounded the crisis.
“The students further state that staff members were deployed to intimidate and physically remove protesting students, and that disciplinary notices and threats of consequences to their academic and professional futures were used to suppress dissent. The rustication of six students, along with show-cause notices issued to others, makes the situation all the more alarming,” it added.
Describing the situation as a matter of concern for an institution entrusted with nurturing artistic freedom, Brittas stressed that students should be able to question administrative decisions and pursue their education without fear or intimidation.
“It is particularly unacceptable that students who have suffered physical attacks should now have to fight their own administration for accountability and assurances of safety. Their concerns regarding adequate hostel accommodation, medical assistance for injured students and the prolonged delay in providing essential residential facilities also demand immediate attention. The continuing academic disruption cannot be resolved by compelling students into silence; it requires the administration to confront the causes of the crisis and restore trust,” Brittas wrote in the letter.
The MP also called for immediate attention to students’ concerns regarding adequate hostel accommodation, medical assistance for injured students and delays in providing essential residential facilities.
Urging the institute’s administration to address the grievances within a definite timeframe, Brittas called for concrete measures to ensure student safety and resume academic activities, including rescheduling classes and practical work lost during the disruption.
“I therefore earnestly urge your good self to intervene directly and ensure an independent inquiry into the attacks of 27 September and 4 October, as well as the subsequent intimidation and manhandling of students. All retaliatory disciplinary action, including the rustication orders and show-cause notices arising from the ongoing agitation, must be withdrawn. The administration must immediately engage in good-faith dialogue with the elected representatives of the Students’ Union, address their substantive grievances within a definite timeframe, and take concrete measures to guarantee student safety and resume academic activities, including the rescheduling of lost classes and practical work,” he concluded in the letter addressed to Gopi.
He urged Vaishnaw and Gopi to intervene personally to end the impasse and restore a climate of safety, accountability and democratic dialogue at the institute. (ANI)
CPI MP John Brittas writes to I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and SRFTI chair Suresh Gopi to intervene in ongoing protest at Kolkata campus
