Bengal: Situation normal at SRFTI day after clash between right-wing consumer group, students

Kolkata, Police maintained a presence outside SRFTI's main gate here on Monday, a day after a clash between a section of students and members of a right-wing consumer protection group, ABGP, left several people injured, officials said.

A senior police officer present outside the main gate of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute said cases had been lodged by both sides or suo motu at the nearby Panchasayar police station in connection with the clash.

There was no untoward incident on Monday as the students attended classes, while there was no gathering of outsiders in front of the gate.

"Today the situation is normal. Outsiders have dispersed, while students have resumed classes," an SRFTI official said.

On Sunday, both sides accused each other of assault.

Students alleged that Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat members attacked them, while the organisation claimed its programme was disrupted and its members were assaulted.

The incident triggered protests inside the campus, with students later locking the main gate and staging a sit-in demanding action against those they alleged had attacked them.

The ABGP had hired the institute's auditorium for its programme after obtaining permission from the authorities, according to its state leaders. The event began around 10 am.

Trouble started after a group of students objected to the presence of people from outside the institute and questioned the authorities about allowing a private organisation with right-wing links to hold a programme on the campus.

The students allegedly put up posters near the auditorium as a mark of protest, following which a heated exchange took place between them and members of the organising group.

The students' association, in a statement, alleged that the speakers at the event delivered "highly provocative speeches" and that members of the organisation used terms such as "anti-national", "urban Naxals" and "terrorists" against students. It also alleged that female students were manhandled during the confrontation.

Students further alleged that some ABGP members subsequently assaulted them with knives and claimed that four students suffered serious injuries in the alleged attack, while several others were also hurt.

The students' body claimed around 150 students were inside the campus after the clash and alleged that they had been "surrounded by goons".

"We were having our practical classes in the auditorium. When we saw people from outside holding a programme there, some of us protested and put up posters on the wall. The members of the organisation then came towards us and started beating us up. We somehow managed to escape towards the hostel," a student told a news channel on Sunday.

An institute teacher also alleged that he and some of his colleagues were assaulted when they intervened.

The students' body claimed that six policemen had detained the main accused inside a police vehicle, while a mob outside the campus was demanding their release.

The ABGP, however, rejected the allegations and claimed that its members were attacked without provocation after students disrupted the programme and tore posters and banners, including images of Bharat Mata and Swami Vivekananda.

"We had paid ₹15,000 to hire the auditorium and had obtained permission from the authorities. Our organisation works mainly for consumer protection and awareness. But an attempt was made to disrupt our programme, and posters were torn," a member of ABGP told reporters.

He alleged that several ABGP members were injured in the confrontation and said four members of the organisation had been admitted to hospital.

ABGP state president Pankaj Roy described the programme as an event to celebrate consumer rights with a "nationalist vision".

He alleged that some students objected to a picture of Bharat Mata at the venue and harassed people attending the programme, including women.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.