SIT questions 23 in SRFTI clash probe, submits report at Nabanna
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "SIT questions 23 in SRFTI clash probe, submits report at Nabanna")
Security personnel deployed at the site after a clash broke out between members of the SFI and the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat during an event organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat at the SRFTI auditorium, in Kolkata on Sunday. Photograph: (ANI)
Clashes broke out on Sunday, September 27, between SRFTI students and members of the ABGP, an RSS-affiliated organisation, after the group was allegedly allowed to hold an event in the institute's main auditorium.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the violence at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) has so far questioned 23 people from both sides. On Thursday, six SIT officers submitted a six-page investigation report at Nabanna, the state secretariat.
According to police sources, SIT members led by Kunal Agarwal, Additional Commissioner of Kolkata Police (Crime), visited the SRFTI campus around 4 pm on Wednesday. They examined several videos and CCTV recordings from the premises. Sources said analysis of the footage has helped identify about 250 people who may have been involved in the incident.
Those questioned so far include 10 members of the college administration, among them the Vice-Chancellor, along with 10 student leaders and three members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP). The SIT has not named anyone as directly responsible. It has said no one can be declared guilty until the investigation is complete.
Clashes broke out on Sunday, September 27, between SRFTI students and members of the ABGP, an RSS-affiliated organisation, after the group was allegedly allowed to hold an event in the institute's main auditorium. The organisation had reportedly rented the auditorium of the central government-run institute for a programme scheduled from noon to 4 pm.
The SRFTI Students' Union said the student body was not informed about the event before permission was granted. Students questioned how outsiders could enter the campus to organise a programme, and the confrontation followed.
The two sides gave conflicting accounts. Students accused ABGP members of assault, inflammatory speeches and abusive labels, while the ABGP said some of its own members were also hospitalised. The organisers said tensions rose after a group of students entered the venue and allegedly tore down their flags, posters and banners. At least seven people were hurt.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
Police entered the campus and were deployed in large numbers outside, where they also scuffled with a crowd gathered at the main gate. Students later blocked the institute's gates and staged a sit-in, demanding action against those they accused of attacking them.
The incident also drew political reaction. The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee condemned what it called a rampage by RSS-backed miscreants at SRFTI, and a call was made for an independent investigation.
With the SIT's report now submitted and hundreds of people identified from footage, attention turns to whether the investigation will lead to formal action. Authorities have not said when the probe will conclude. Both the students and the ABGP have demanded action against those they hold responsible.
