SRFTI students say police still on campus after October 27 torch march
By Aditi KulkarniEducation Writer, Peepals Bharat
File photo: Pinakpani (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
SRFTI Kolkata's students' union said on 31 October 2026 police remain on campus after the 27 October torch march; the institute cites safety.
What Happened
Students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata have said that police are still deployed inside their campus, days after officers were called in on the night of Tuesday, 27 October 2026. At a briefing at the Kolkata Press Club on Saturday, 31 October, the students' union said police were posted at the entrance of the administration building and were patrolling the campus, including areas around the hostels, which it said hurt students' privacy and freedom of movement. The institute's administration says the police were called to keep students, teachers and staff safe.
Key Facts
- SRFTI, named after film-maker Satyajit Ray, trains students in film and television production in Kolkata.
- Police entered the campus late on 27 October after about 50 students held a torch march calling for better campus security, according to the institute.
- The students say the march followed confrontations involving right-wing groups on the campus on 27 September and 4 October.
- Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera said the marchers raised targeted and intimidating slogans in residential areas, creating fear among people who live on the campus, and that police were called to protect them.
- The students' union says police arrived about five hours after the march had ended and that most of the personnel on campus were not wearing identification badges.
- Registrar Deepak Kumar described claims that the administration had failed to act as "absolutely false and fake".
- The SRFTI alumni association has demanded the complete withdrawal of police from the campus and the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor.
Why It Matters
The dispute at SRFTI has been building for more than a month. Earlier, actor Naseeruddin Shah publicly backed the students, while the BJP and the institute rejected his claims. What is new now is the police presence inside the campus and the students' complaint that it has continued for days. That has turned a disagreement about campus security into a question about how a central institute and its students should settle their differences.
The two sides describe the same events very differently. The administration presents the police deployment as a safety measure after what it calls intimidation, physical abuse and vandalism at the Vice-Chancellor's office. The students describe it as surveillance meant to discourage protest, and say they wanted better security from the institute, not policing of their hostels. Both accounts are claims made by the parties; no court or independent inquiry has ruled on them so far.
Film schools depend on long hours, night shoots and students working closely together on and around the campus. A continuing police presence near hostels and work areas affects that daily routine, which is why the students raise privacy and movement as their main concerns. For the institute, the question is how to show that the campus is safe for everyone who lives and works there.
The case has also drawn in people beyond the campus: a well-known actor, a political party and the institute's own alumni have all taken positions.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 27 September and 4 October | Confrontations on campus involving right-wing groups, according to students |
| 27 October (night) | Torch march by about 50 students; police called onto the campus |
| 31 October | Students' union tells the press police are still deployed, including near hostels |
Impact
Short-term: Police remain on duty on the campus for now, while the students' union presses for their withdrawal and the alumni association seeks the Vice-Chancellor's resignation.
Long-term: How the dispute ends may shape the rules on when police can be called into a central educational institute and how students' security complaints are handled there.
Who is affected: SRFTI's students, teachers and staff, the families living on the campus, and the institute's administration.
Key Takeaway
Police remain on the SRFTI campus in Kolkata after the 27 October torch march, with students calling it intrusive and the administration calling it necessary for safety.
Questions and Answers
Why are police on the SRFTI campus?
The institute says police were called on the night of 27 October 2026 after about 50 students held a torch march without permission and raised slogans in residential areas, creating fear among residents. The administration says the deployment is meant to protect students, faculty and staff.
What are SRFTI students saying about the police presence?
The students' union said on 31 October that police were still posted at the administration building and were patrolling near the hostels, which it says affects privacy and freedom of movement. It also said most personnel were not wearing identification badges.
What are the alumni demanding?
The SRFTI alumni association wants the police fully withdrawn from the campus and the Vice-Chancellor, Santosh Ajmera, to resign.
What started the protests at SRFTI?
The students say their protest for better security followed confrontations involving right-wing groups on the campus on 27 September and 4 October 2026. The torch march on 27 October was part of that demand.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Aditi Kulkarni, Education WriterCovers Education and more for Peepals Bharat. All stories by Aditi Kulkarni
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Aditi Kulkarni is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
