A protest at one of India’s best-known film schools has drawn a politically charged intervention from Naseeruddin Shah. In a video, the actor said that, after what he called a “rigged victory” in the Bengal elections, the BJP was seeking revenge on those who disagree with it, and that SRFTI’s students were its latest victims. These are his allegations, and I could not independently verify the video or the claim about the election.
Shah said students were issued show-cause notices instead of getting accountability, then monitored, threatened and finally asked to vacate the hostel. He alleged an attempt to intimidate upcoming filmmakers and urged right-thinking citizens to support the students’ demands, saying these young people will one day tell the country the truth about itself.
The Students’ Demands
The protest began after an alleged clash during an event on September 27. The students have since demanded better campus security, action against those responsible for the violence, withdrawal of the disciplinary notices against them and the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera. On October 4, students alleged that stones, bricks and bottles were thrown toward the campus. They also say the institute mess has been closed since October 17 and that access to the gym, music room and film-viewing facilities has been restricted. nationalheraldindianationalheraldindia
Payal Kapadia, the Cannes-winning director and an SRFTI alumna, said she was appalled and stood with the students. She appealed to the administration to act against those instigating violence, not against its own students.
The Administration’s Position
In its notice of October 16, the institute suspended regular academic activities in its Film and EDM departments until November 13 and asked students to vacate their hostels within 24 hours. Ajmera told the Times of India that the administration respected the right to peaceful protest, but expected students to go home during the holidays. He said action would follow if students took the law into their own hands, and that the hostel needed to be vacated for infrastructure upkeep. theprinturbanacres
An institute official alleged that some protesters had stayed in the hostel for years after their terms expired, and were disrupting juniors’ classes since September 28. The students deny wrongdoing and say the denial of facilities is meant to end their agitation. theprint
Why It Matters
SRFTI trains many of the country’s emerging filmmakers, so any prolonged shutdown affects the academic year and the industry’s pipeline. Shah’s video also puts a campus management dispute into a wider political argument. His claim that the government is behind the action has not been confirmed, and the administration describes its steps as routine management of safety and hostel use. Neither the BJP nor the state government’s response to his remarks was available in the reports I found.
What Comes Next
The key points to watch are whether talks begin between students and the administration, whether the vacate order is enforced and whether the institute’s governing authorities act on the vice-chancellor demand. Bolly Orbit will update this report as developments emerge.
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