SRFTI campus clash in Kolkata: ABGP members, students injured in attack
Synopsis
Violence erupted at the prestigious Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata on Sunday after ABGP members allegedly attacked students who had peacefully protested an on-campus meeting. With professors also reportedly beaten and police accused of recording complainants rather than acting on them, the incident has raised urgent questions about campus safety and institutional accountability.
Key Takeaways
A clash broke out at SRFTI, Kolkata on 27 September 2026 between ABGP members and students.
ABGP was holding a meeting in the institute auditorium from 10 am with official permission; students protested the presence of outsiders.
Several students were allegedly 'slapped and punched indiscriminately', according to student Meghraj Rao ; professors who intervened were also reportedly attacked.
Film director and faculty member Indranil Roychowdhury described the attack as 'very worrying' and condemned the assault on students.
ABGP denied provoking the clash, alleging its members and bus were detained by students.
Students demanded an FIR be registered against the accused, alleging police were recording complainants' details instead of taking action.
A violent clash erupted between members of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) and students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata on Sunday, 27 September 2026, leaving several students and at least one professor injured. Police rushed to the campus to contain the situation, but tension reportedly persisted well into the afternoon.
How the Violence Unfolded
According to students, the ABGP (West Bengal) chapter had been holding a meeting inside the institute's auditorium from 10 am, with permission from the authorities. Students objected to the presence of an outside organisation on campus and staged a protest outside the auditorium, putting up posters on the walls to register their dissent.
Allegedly, ABGP members responded by physically attacking the protesters. Student Meghraj Rao said, 'We used to have practical classes in the auditorium. People were brought in from outside, and meetings were being held there. A few of us protested against it. As a protest, we wrote posters and stuck them on the wall. After that, members of that organisation attacked us. We were slapped and punched indiscriminately. Somehow, we escaped by running towards the hostel.'
Professors Also Targeted, Students Allege
Faculty members who intervened were also reportedly set upon. A professor, who was not named in reports, said, 'Students were being beaten up. Seeing that, we moved forward. Some people also attacked us. We were not spared either.'
Film director Indranil Roychowdhury, who also teaches at SRFTI, condemned the incident. 'The incident is very worrying. From the pictures I see, the students have been brutally attacked. Whatever the incident may have been, they cannot be assaulted like this by entering their campus. There must have been a way to inform the authorities if something untoward happened,' he said.
ABGP's Counter-Claim
The ABGP disputed the students' account, maintaining that the meeting was fully authorised and that it was their members who were attacked without provocation. The organisation also alleged that several of its members were detained by students inside the campus, and that the bus in which they arrived was prevented from leaving.
Police Response and Student Demands
Students raised serious concerns about the police response on the ground. A section of the student body alleged that officers, rather than acting against those accused of the assault, were recording the names, addresses, and identities of the complainants in their notebooks. Students expressed fear of potential harassment and demanded the immediate registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused. Some students were reported to have surrounded a police vehicle in protest of the demand going unheeded.
The situation at SRFTI remained unresolved as of Sunday afternoon, with outsiders allegedly still gathered outside the institute's gate. Whether formal cases will be registered and how the institute's administration responds are the two critical developments to watch in the coming hours.
Point of View
But the alleged police conduct: if officers were indeed cataloguing complainants rather than responding to an assault, it points to a systemic chilling effect on student grievance. The fact that a faculty member of Indranil Roychowdhury's standing felt compelled to publicly condemn the attack signals that institutional confidence in administrative protection has eroded. The administration's silence on why an outside organisation was allowed access to an academic space — and what safeguards exist — is the accountability gap this story should force open.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at SRFTI in Kolkata on 27 September 2026?
A violent clash broke out at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata on 27 September 2026 between members of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) and students of the institute. Several students and at least one professor were reportedly injured after ABGP members allegedly attacked students who had protested an on-campus meeting.
Why did the SRFTI students protest the ABGP meeting?
Students objected to an outside organisation holding a meeting inside the institute's auditorium, a space used for their practical classes. They raised questions about why private organisations were permitted to use academic facilities, and staged a peaceful protest by putting up posters before the alleged assault took place.
What is ABGP's version of the SRFTI clash?
ABGP maintained that its meeting was held with the full permission of the SRFTI authorities and that its members were attacked without provocation by a section of students. The organisation also alleged that several of its members and their bus were detained inside the campus by students.
Why are SRFTI students demanding an FIR against ABGP members?
Students allege that police arriving on scene were recording the names and addresses of complainants rather than taking action against those accused of the assault. Fearing later harassment, students demanded an FIR be immediately registered against the accused, with some surrounding a police vehicle to press the demand.
Who is Indranil Roychowdhury and why did he comment on the SRFTI incident?
Indranil Roychowdhury is a film director and faculty member at SRFTI. He publicly condemned the attack, stating that students had been 'brutally attacked' and that no situation justified entering a campus and assaulting students. His comments carry weight both as a witness and as a member of the institution's academic community.
