Clash at Kolkata film institute as students protest consumer group's campus event

A clash broke out at Kolkata’s Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) on Sunday between students and members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), a right-wing consumer group that had rented the institute’s main auditorium for a programme. Both sides accused the other of starting the violence.

Students alleged that speakers at the event made provocative remarks and that ABGP members assaulted them when they protested. The ABGP said students tore down posters, disrupted the programme and attacked its members.

As tensions rose, students blocked the institute’s gates and the two groups shouted slogans. Police were deployed outside the campus. SRFTI said the situation was under control.#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: 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 (Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute) auditorium. Heavy police deployment in pic.twitter.com/0C6Suj6WKZ— ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2026

A student spokesperson alleged that ABGP members called students “anti-national”, “urban Naxals” and “terrorists”. Students also claimed that female students were manhandled and some professors assaulted. These allegations have not been independently established.

An ABGP member said four people from the group had been admitted to hospital. The member also alleged that an image or statue of Swami Vivekananda was damaged during the clash. An SRFTI official, however, said the institute had received no report of serious injuries.

The ABGP programme had been scheduled in the auditorium from noon to 4 pm. Authorities were monitoring the situation as police remained outside the central government-run institute. - Ends