‘This is what they stole the votes for’: Anurag Kashyap invokes ‘vote chori’ claims as he slams SRFTI violence

An incident was reported at Kolkata’s SRFTI, where a clash between students and Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) members left several people injured.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has reacted to the violence reported at Kolkata’s Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), where a clash between students and members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) left several people injured on Sunday, September 27. Police have registered FIRs as they investigate the clash.

SRFTI clash: Anurag Kashyap reacts as students and ABGP trade allegations over campus violence.

What Anurag Kashyap said on Instagram

Sharing a statement from the SRFTI Students’ Union on Instagram on Sunday night, Anurag included a not-so-veiled reference to allegations of ‘vote chori’ in West Bengal and other parts of India. The filmmaker wrote: “This is what they stole the votes for in Bengal. This and so much more.”

What happened at SRFTI

According to PTI, the incident began during an ABGP programme at SRFTI’s Main Theatre. According to the organisation, it had paid ₹15,000 to book the auditorium and had received permission from the institute. The programme, which began around 10 AM, was described by ABGP members as an awareness and organisational event focused on consumer rights.

The SRFTI Students’ Union has a different account of how the confrontation began. In a statement issued after the incident, students said they were not informed about the programme before permission was granted. They claimed that some students went to the Main Theatre in the afternoon to put up posters questioning the decision.

According to the students, the situation turned violent after ABGP members confronted them. The Students’ Union alleged that students were abused and attacked with punches, kicks, sticks, stones and bricks. They also claimed that the violence spread across the campus, including to students who had not been involved in the initial protest.

Several students reportedly took shelter inside the library. The Students’ Union alleged that people followed them there and that the librarian was also assaulted. Students further claimed that phones were forcibly taken and that some had their clothes torn during the confrontation.

At an evening press conference, students alleged that they were called "urban Naxals", "terrorists" and "jihadis". Some also claimed they received rape threats. Editing student Duttatreya Dey was reportedly injured after being hit by a stone, while another student was said to have lost consciousness after being struck by a brick. Reports said around 30 students and two teachers were injured, with several students taken to hospital.

Anurag Kashyap’s recent work

Anurag Kashyap's most recent directorial features were Aaisvary Thackeray's acting debut Nishaanchi and and Bandar starring Bobby Deol.

Bandar, the director's latest theatrical release, featured Bobby Deol as a once-popular rockstar whose career begins to fall apart after he is accused of sexual harassment. The film looks at male entitlement, media trials, public judgment and a legal system where the "process is the punishment", leaving Samar stripped of his dignity and trapped both literally and metaphorically.