Naseeruddin Shah backs SRFTI students, slams BJP over campus crackdown
Synopsis
Naseeruddin Shah has gone on record calling the BJP a 'jhooti party' and accusing it of orchestrating a vendetta against SRFTI students who demanded administrative accountability. With show cause notices, surveillance, and hostel evictions reportedly deployed against protesters, the crisis at one of India's premier film institutes is now a national flashpoint over academic freedom and political interference in cultural institutions.
Key Takeaways
Naseeruddin Shah posted a video on 24 October backing SRFTI students and accusing the BJP of intimidating aspiring filmmakers.
Students have been staging an indefinite sit-in outside Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera's office since 12 October , demanding his resignation.
Two campus clashes preceded the protest — on 27 September with ABGP members and on 4 October with Bangiya Hindu Jagaran Mancha protesters.
The administration reportedly issued show cause notices, placed students under surveillance, and asked some to vacate hostels.
SRFTI falls under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting , making the Centre's response a key point of accountability.
Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has publicly thrown his weight behind students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata, who have been staging an indefinite sit-in outside the Vice-Chancellor's office since 12 October, demanding the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera. Shah posted a video on his official social media handle on Saturday, 24 October, squarely blaming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what he described as a campaign of intimidation against the aspiring filmmakers.
What Naseeruddin Shah Said
In the video, Shah said: 'The BJP, the bloody jhooti party, after its manipulative victory in the Bengal elections, now seems all out for revenge on anyone who does not subscribe to their beliefs and their policies. The latest victims of this vendetta are the students, the aspiring filmmakers of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute. In return for their demand for accountability from the administration, they have been served show cause notices, put under surveillance, threatened and now have even been asked to vacate the hostels.'
Shah added that the BJP, in his view, was not merely promoting propaganda but was now attempting to 'brainwash or frighten the future filmmakers of this country.' He pledged that the effort would not succeed, saying: 'I can promise you that is not going to happen. These are the young people who in the future will tell us the truth about themselves and about our country and about the state we are in.'
He concluded with a direct appeal: 'I urge all right-minded citizens to support the demands of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute students.'
Background: Violence on Campus
The student protest was triggered by a series of clashes on the SRFTI campus in Kolkata. On 27 September, students clashed with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), an RSS-affiliated consumer awareness group, during a campus programme. A second confrontation followed on 4 October, when members of the Bangiya Hindu Jagaran Mancha organised a protest outside the institute. According to reports, some protesters attempted to force open the institute's gate after police intervened to stop them.
Students' Demands and Administration's Response
Since 12 October, students have been holding an indefinite sit-in outside Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera's office, demanding his resignation and accountability from the administration. In response, the administration reportedly issued show cause notices to students, placed some under surveillance, and asked certain students to vacate hostels — actions the students and their supporters characterise as punitive and retaliatory.
Wider Significance
The SRFTI unrest is unfolding against the backdrop of heightened political tensions in West Bengal following state elections. Critics argue the incidents reflect a broader pattern of pressure on autonomous cultural and educational institutions. Shah's intervention amplifies the protest's national profile, drawing attention to questions of academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and the role of affiliated groups in campus politics. Notably, SRFTI is a premier national institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, making the Centre's response — or absence of one — a point of scrutiny.
Point of View
Surveillance, hostel evictions. If accurate, these are administrative tools being used against students who demanded accountability, which is a qualitatively different kind of pressure than political rhetoric. SRFTI is a Central government institute; the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's silence, or response, will be as telling as anything said on campus. The broader pattern — RSS-affiliated groups entering autonomous campuses, clashes following, and then administrative action falling on students rather than intruders — deserves scrutiny beyond the celebrity endorsement cycle.
NationPress
24 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are SRFTI students protesting?
Students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute have been staging an indefinite sit-in outside Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera's office since 12 October 2024, demanding his resignation and accountability from the administration following two violent incidents on campus in late September and early October.
What did Naseeruddin Shah say about the SRFTI protest?
Naseeruddin Shah posted a video on 24 October publicly supporting the students and accusing the BJP of targeting them as part of a broader vendetta against those who do not share its ideology. He alleged students had been served show cause notices, placed under surveillance, threatened, and asked to vacate hostels.
What triggered the violence at SRFTI?
Two clashes preceded the student sit-in. On 27 September, students clashed with members of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat during a campus programme. On 4 October, members of the Bangiya Hindu Jagaran Mancha staged a protest outside the institute, with some reportedly attempting to force open the gate.
Which ministry oversees SRFTI?
The Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute is a premier national institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, making the Central government directly responsible for its governance and administration.
Why does Naseeruddin Shah's support matter?
Shah is one of India's most respected veteran actors and a vocal public intellectual. His intervention gives the SRFTI protest significant national visibility and frames the campus dispute as part of a wider debate on academic freedom and political interference in autonomous cultural institutions.
