Students, right-wing consumer group members clash on SRFTI campus in Kolkata

Violence erupted in the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) campus in Kolkata on Sunday (September 27, 2026) as students clashed with members of a right-wing consumer welfare organisation, who were holding a meeting inside the institute’s auditorium.

The meeting of representatives of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) started at 10 a.m. A section of students objected to the entry of outsiders and questioned why the institute allowed a private organisation to hold a meeting on campus.

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

Soon, violence broke out, and each group accused the other of attacking them. The student body claimed that around 150 students were on campus after the clash and alleged that they had been “surrounded by goons” and that some students sustained injuries in the incident.

Students said that when they objected to the event, they were called Bangladeshis and anti-nationals.

ABGP supporters claimed that the students had gheraoed a bus that had women and children who had come to join the event. “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 media persons.

ABGP state president Pankaj Roy claimed the students objected because they were a Hindutva organisation. There was a large deployment of police, and senior officers of the Kolkata Police arrived at the venue to prevent the situation from escalating further.

Previously, violence had erupted at Jadavpur University on August 19, 2026, when students affiliated with Left organisations and members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad clashed. After this, a series of political statements were made, and rallies were held by the BJP leadership, including Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who promised to weed out “anti-national” elements from the university.