Hindutva group storms Kolkata film institute, throws stones at campus
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Kolkata: Members of the Hindutva outfit Bangiyo Hindu Jagaran Manch marched to the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata on Sunday, breaking police barricades and allegedly throwing stones into the campus, a week after violence left at least six students injured.
The protesters also clashed with police while attempting to enter the institute, according to reports.
Rohit Shaw, a spokesperson for the group, said the march was organised in response to an incident on September 27, when students allegedly objected to an event at the institute on the grounds that its organisers were affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Shaw alleged that students had disrespected images of Swami Vivekananda and Bharat Mata.
At least six students were injured in the September 27 violence. One student was reportedly struck on the head, while another was allegedly attacked with a knife. Poorvi Bondre, a student union member, had alleged that the attackers called the students “anti-nationals” and “Naxals”.
The RSS is the ideological parent organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The event that triggered the confrontation was organised by the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat, according to reports.
During Sunday’s march, Shaw reportedly said that “dimagi Naxals” at SRFTI would be “taught a lesson” in the same manner as at Jadavpur University, where clashes had broken out between Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Left-affiliated student groups on August 20. ABVP is the student wing of the RSS.
The phrase “dimagi Naxal” has been used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to refer to what he described as a threat to Indian society.
SRFTI students alleged that members of the Hindutva group also removed pictures of BR Ambedkar and MK Gandhi from the institute gate.
Students had written to Kolkata Police and the West Bengal government ahead of Sunday’s march, seeking adequate security and urging authorities not to allow the protest. Students from film institutes in Pune and Itanagar also wrote to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, raising concerns over the proposed rally.