Deadlock at Kolkata film school SRFTI likely to continue

Students’ demands include cancellation of curtailment of certain aspects in their syllabus, no cut in academic budget, increase in filmmaking budgets, among others.

A meeting stretching for four hours and a half between students and the administration of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute on Friday failed to break the deadlock at the institution where students are boycotting classes since Tuesday.

Students said they have been raising various issues for months but the authorities always neglected those. (PTI)

The boycott of classes at the Centre-funded film school started after the administration decided on Monday to rusticate 14 female students and filed police complaints against 10 male students for refusing to relocate to their designated rooms following the authority’s decision to segregate hostels on the basis of gender.

During the meeting on Friday, attended by director Debamitra Mitra, the dean of students and heads of various departments, the students told the administration that they would agree to segregation of hostel on the basis of gender only after their other demands were met.

“We have been raising various issues for months but the authorities always neglected those. We have submitted our charter of demands stating that we would agree to hostel segregation after these demands are met. Revoking the rustication of 14 students tops our list of demands,” Debottam Basu, a member of the students’ association, told HT.

The authorities, however, seem to be in no mood to consider their offer.

“They are trying to dictate terms. How can the students dictate the authorities about how to run the courses and the institution? If we are to follow what they say, what is the need of us at all? Let the students run the institution,” the SRFTI director told HT.

She said that she will discuss with other members of the administration the students’ demands when the institute opens on Monday, but does not hope reach any solution anytime soon.

“I’m not very optimistic about the outcome of the meeting we had today,” she said.