Kolkata: The SRFTI Students’ Union has condemned the administration for issuing 14 show-cause notices and six rustication notices following a Sept 27 clash with ABGP members. It pointed out that a student who left campus on Oct 3 has continued to receive notices dated Oct 6 and 29.At the press conference on Saturday, students union president Blossom Hazarika alleged that the students “didn’t get any sense of compassion” from VC Santosh Ajmera. “The first official communication came from him on Oct1, in the form of a press release. It was stating that everything was normal at the institute. It was a forced normalcy on us.”On Monday, students raised concerns over the administration’s flawed process of issuing notices without verifying basic facts, questioning how students can trust the administration for their “safety”, “security” and “overall well-being”. They added that issuing repeated unverified notices suggests “a deliberate attempt to discredit and defame students”.SRFTI registrar Deepak Kumar said: “Recent show-cause notices have been issued in light of the fact-finding committee’s findings regarding provocative and objectionable writings found on the Institute’s outer wall near the Main Gate on the night of Oct 23 and at the gate of the administrative building on Oct 26 night. Such writings had the potential to disturb peace at SRFTI. The notices seek explanations from the concerned individuals.”Students also find “a disturbing pattern in the way the administration has handled the situation”. “The safety, security, academic future, and careers of students are all at stake. If this is what the administration calls normalcy, we categorically reject such normalcy. We are here to learn, and education has taught us to question, to think critically, and stand up against injustice. We have organised ourselves, and our collective resistance will continue,” the students said.On Monday, they also questioned the unprecedented involvement of the chief accounts officer in signing disciplinary proceedings. While notices from the administrative office would at least have “an institutional basis”, the CAO issuing show-cause notices raises questions about “authority”, “jurisdiction”, and “administrative procedure”, they said. Kumar said: “The issuance and signing of show-cause notices by the CAO is part of the Institute’s administrative practice.”On Sunday night, the students took to their social media handle to post their reaction to the TOI interview of the VC Santosh Ajmera. In addition to individual reactions to his answers, their statement alleged that a VC “who evades accountability, distorts facts, suppresses dissent, targets Dalit, Bahujan and minority student netas, and shifts the burden of institutional failures onto students cannot claim to be restoring, normalcy. “His conduct raises serious questions about his honesty, ethics, courage and commitment to the responsibilities of his office. Students deserve truth, justice, safety and accountability, not discrimination, intimidation, surveillance and manufactured narratives,” they said. They also highlighted that Ajmera is “incapable and unfit” to hold the office of Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute. His conduct has brought disrepute to the institution and undermined the trust and dignity of its students. He must take moral responsibility and resign immediately.”Meanwhile, ABGP’s Anjan Sinha said the investigating officer of SIT has got in touch with him regarding the Sept 27 incident. “I was asked to submit my venue booking document as well as the list of injured ABGP members along with their medical documents. Since I have been in Delhi for 10 days, I asked for more time to be present physically before the IO with the required documents. Since I personally did not know any of the students who attacked us, I have not named anyone in my cop plaint on the basis of which an FIR has been registered. I am yet to file a consumer complaint against the institute,” he said.
