File photo: the auditorium of the SRFTI main building, Kolkata, June 2016; not from the protest. Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Why it matters
Students at SRFTI Kolkata have been out of regular classes since their academic halt began on 28 September. The union's call for a 27 October protest asks other campuses to join, and its demands reach national policy, from the NEP 2020 to student union elections. The six rusticated students' place at the institute depends on how the disciplinary dispute is settled.
The SRFTI protest in Kolkata now has a national date. Students at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) have called on universities and student unions across India to join a protest on 27 October, after six of them were rusticated, or suspended from the institute, earlier this month. The institute said on 25 October that the action was over misconduct, vandalism and physical assault, not over the right to protest.
The row has drawn in actor Naseeruddin Shah, who backed the students in a video message, and leaders of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) in West Bengal, who have questioned his motives. Classes in two of the institute’s departments are suspended until 13 November.
SRFTI protest: what the students announced on 25 October
At a press conference on Sunday, 25 October, the students’ union asked campuses across the country to protest on 27 October against what it called the “saffronisation” of educational institutions, The Indian Express reported. By the union’s count, the SRFTI protest had reached its 28th day.
The union’s list of demands goes well beyond SRFTI. According to the Indian Express report, it wants rustications of protesting students revoked across the country, student union elections held where they have lapsed, a Rohith Vemula Act against caste discrimination on campuses, and the withdrawal of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025. It also asked for an end to surveillance on campuses.
Shubham Waydande, the union’s vice president and one of the rusticated students, said students had been told to leave the hostels until 13 November and that power to the classrooms had been cut. In a separate account reported by The Hindu, students said electricity to the one classroom they had been using for internet and workstations was disconnected on the evening of Saturday, 24 October.
What SRFTI Kolkata says about the rusticated students
Registrar Deepak Kumar’s statement on 25 October said the rustications and show-cause notices followed “specific acts of misconduct, vandalism, defacement and physical assault”, and that linking them to the students’ right to protest misrepresented the facts. Both The Hindu and The Indian Express carried the statement.
The statement said the action was recommended by the Dean’s Council, made up of the heads of departments, the dean, the registrar and members of a fact-finding committee. The institute’s press release listed damage to the vice-chancellor’s office, including broken windowpanes and furniture, The Indian Express reported. It also cited a 14-page report by an internal investigation committee covering 27 September to 24 October, which says a portrait of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was damaged and the vice-chancellor’s office was occupied for two days. That is the institute committee’s account; it has not been tested by a court or police inquiry in any report read for this article.
The registrar also said Waydande had been rusticated for three semesters and so was not eligible to speak for the students’ union during that time. A senior official told The Hindu that the students were lying about the power cut, saying the internet had not been cut and that students had livestreamed their press conference from the campus.
Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera said the institute remained committed to students’ safety and to bringing back normal classes as soon as possible, according to The Indian Express.
Claims and responses, side by side
| Issue | What students say | What the institute says |
|---|---|---|
| Why six were rusticated | To break the protest; they deny vandalism or abusing the vice-chancellor | Misconduct, vandalism, defacement and physical assault, on the Dean’s Council’s advice |
| Fair process | No hearing, no evidence shown; legal notice sent, meeting minutes sought | Action followed the institute’s bye-laws and conduct rules |
| Power and internet | Classroom power cut from 24 October evening | A senior official said the internet was not cut |
| Campus closure | Hostels and mess shut; about 80 to 100 students still on campus, by one student’s estimate | Classes suspended to 13 November; some students staying “illegally” |
Naseeruddin Shah’s message and the BJP’s reply
In his video message, Naseeruddin Shah accused the BJP of seeking revenge on people who oppose it and called the students “the latest victims of this vendetta”. He said they had been served show-cause notices, put under surveillance and asked to vacate their hostels after they sought accountability from the administration, The Hindu reported.
BJP Rajya Sabha member Rahul Sinha called for a full investigation into Naseeruddin Shah’s remarks and alleged they could be linked to an international conspiracy, according to the same report. BJP MLA Ritesh Tewari said the actor had long opposed the BJP and the Sangh.
On 23 October, students screened filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s documentary set against the 2016 student movement at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, followed by an online session with her, The Indian Express reported. NewsPlainly has also reported on a trespass FIR and security curbs at Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi.
How the SRFTI protest began: a timeline
The trouble started a month ago, during an event in the institute’s auditorium organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), a consumer awareness group linked to the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). Several students were hurt in a clash there, The Hindu reported, and the West Bengal government later set up a special investigation team (SIT) to look into it. No findings from that inquiry appeared in the reports read for this article.
| Date (2026) | What happened |
|---|---|
| 27 September | Clash during the ABGP event on campus; several students injured |
| 28 September | Students begin an academic halt |
| 4 October | Bangiya Hindu Jagaran Mancha protests outside the gate; students allege stones and bottles were thrown |
| 12 October | Indefinite sit-in begins outside the vice-chancellor’s office |
| 15 October | Six students rusticated, two of them union office-bearers |
| 16 October | Film and Electronic and Digital Media classes suspended to 13 November; hostels ordered vacated in 24 hours |
| 25 October | Students call a nationwide protest; registrar issues statement |
| 27 October | Nationwide campus protest called by the students |
| 13 November | Suspension of classes ends |
By NewsPlainly’s count, 28 September to 25 October is 28 days, which matches the union’s “28th day”. The suspension of classes at SRFTI Kolkata runs another 18 days from 26 October. A senior official told The Hindu the institute would assess the situation by 13 November and decide what is needed then.
The six rusticated students told The Indian Express they had replied to the notices, sent a legal notice and asked for the minutes of the meeting that decided their case. None of the reports read said whether a court challenge had been filed.
Frequently asked questions
Why were SRFTI students rusticated?
The institute says six students were rusticated on 15 October for misconduct, vandalism, defacement and physical assault, on the Dean's Council's advice. The students deny the charges and say no hearing was held.
When is the SRFTI nationwide protest?
The SRFTI students' union has called on campuses across India to protest on 27 October 2026, according to The Indian Express.
What did Naseeruddin Shah say about SRFTI?
In a video message, Shah accused the BJP of seeking revenge on its opponents and called the students "the latest victims of this vendetta". BJP leaders in Bengal questioned his motives.
When will classes resume at SRFTI?
Classes in the Film and Electronic and Digital Media departments are suspended until 13 November 2026. An official said the institute would assess the situation by then.