The CPI(ML) Liberation West Bengal State Committee condemned the RSS-led attack on students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata and demanded the immediate arrest and strict punishment of those responsible. The attack on September 27, in which students were assaulted with knives and other weapons and several were injured, created an atmosphere of fear on the campus. A solidarity mobilisation was subsequently organised at Jadavpur University by AISA and other student organisations.
On September 27, an RSS-linked group organised a programme at SRFTI, following which students protesting against the programme were attacked. Students were assaulted with knives and other weapons, several were injured, and an atmosphere of fear was created on the campus.
In a statement issued on September 28, the CPI(ML) Liberation West Bengal State Committee said the RSS-BJP, after coming to power in Bengal, was seeking to bring the state’s educational and cultural institutions under its control. The attack on SRFTI, an institution associated with the legacy of Satyajit Ray, was a recent example of this attempt to control Bengal’s educational and cultural sphere.
The party said the police remained silent spectators during the attack and that students were themselves subjected to harassment. It pointed out that photographs and videos of those involved were available, yet the police had not taken action against them. The CPI(ML) demanded the immediate arrest and strict punishment of all those responsible and called for the security of SRFTI students to be ensured.
The party also condemned the wider pattern of attacks and intimidation by RSS and ABVP forces in educational institutions. It recalled incidents in Jadavpur, Presidency, Medinipur and other institutions in Bengal and across the country, and called upon the people of Bengal to resist attempts to destroy the state’s progressive educational and cultural traditions.
On September 28, students and progressive organisations at Jadavpur University organised a protest march and public meeting in solidarity with the SRFTI students. The mobilisation condemned the attack and raised the issue of growing violence and intimidation by RSS and ABVP forces in educational institutions.
The protest rejected this distorted notion of patriotism and asserted the need to resist forces attacking democratic and progressive student spaces. Speakers invoked the ideals of Bhagat Singh and the tradition of progressive student struggles, declaring that the fight against fascist forces would continue.
The mobilisation also underlined the significance of Jadavpur University as a centre of resistance for Kolkata, Bengali society and the people of Bengal. Students and progressive organisations expressed solidarity with the SRFTI students and pledged to continue the struggle together.
