Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera was allegedly manhandled by a student and verbally abused by others amid an ongoing campus protest in Kolkata, according to an institute statement issued on Thursday, October 15.

AdvertisementThe Puranic

The incident came hours after the vice-chancellor’s office was vandalised on Wednesday night. The institute said stones were allegedly thrown at the office, breaking windows, while water and air-conditioning lines were cut. Broken glass, stones and damaged furniture were found inside the office the following morning.

According to the statement, a meeting was held on Thursday to condemn the vandalism. After the meeting, some students allegedly surrounded Ajmera, raised slogans and used abusive language. One student allegedly manhandled him as faculty members were leaving the hall.

Ajmera, who assumed charge around 15 days earlier, described the incident as unacceptable. While acknowledging students’ right to protest, he condemned the alleged assault and vandalism and called for strict action against those found responsible.

The unrest comes as the students’ union’s academic shutdown enters its 17th day. The protest began on September 28 over concerns about campus security, with a sit-in outside the vice-chancellor’s office entering its fourth day.

The agitation followed clashes with organisations linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Eight students had previously received show-cause notices on disciplinary grounds.

Ajmera also alleged that some students had been intimidating their peers and preventing them from attending classes for eight days, forcing some to leave campus and return home. He said the disruption had affected normal academic activities and the institute’s academic and cultural environment.

Meanwhile, the SRFTI Students’ Union has written to institute chairman Suresh Goel seeking his intervention and demanding Ajmera’s resignation. In a letter dated October 14, the union said its academic halt and indefinite sit-in would continue until its demands were addressed. These include the vice-chancellor’s resignation, revocation of disciplinary notices and an independent inquiry into campus violence.

The competing allegations and demands have intensified the standoff, with questions over campus security, disciplinary action and the resumption of academic activities remaining unresolved in the supplied report.