Authorities, students on collision course at SRFTI
Authorities decided that discussions on students’ demands would be held only after they allow the administration to function normally.
Protesting students at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata denied authorities entry into the campus on Monday, aggravating the impasse as the media school remained non-functional.
Students at the information and broadcast ministry-funded institute sat blocking the entrance of the institution on Monday morning, forcing director Debamitra Mitra and other members of the administration and the faculty to return home.
Following this, Mitra invited members of the administration and faculty to her house for discussing the situation.
After nearly five hours of deliberation, they decided that discussions on students’ demands would be held only after they allow the administration to function normally, Mitra told HT.
The students had on Friday submitted a 27-point charter of demands with the administration with the one for revocation of the rustication of 14 female students topping the list. Other demands include academic, hostel and budget-related issues.
The 14 students were rusticated last Monday for refusing to relocate to the newly opened women’s hostel from the erstwhile common hostel that has now been designated for male students. Following the rustication, SRFTI students’ association started an indefinite strike from Tuesday.
The association on Friday said the students would agree to segregation of hostel on the basis of gender only after their other demands are met.
Registrar Santanu Basu Mallick has said that the authorities had taken a very serious view of the fact that the students are obstructing work.
“We’ll discuss tonight and decide on our next moves accordingly,” one of the protesting students said.