Naseeruddin Shah
Kolkata: Actor Naseeruddin Shah on Saturday criticised the SRFTI administration amid a student union call for nationwide protests on Oct 27 against suppression of dissent.
In a video statement, Shah said, “The BJP , after its manipulative victory in the Bengal elections, now seems all out for revenge on anyone who does not subscribe to their beliefs and their policies. He described students and aspiring filmmakers as the latest “victims” of the party’s “vendetta”. Accusing BJP of attempting to brainwash or intimidate the country’s future filmmakers, he expressed confidence that they would instead tell the truth about the country and urged all “right-minded citizens” to support the students. SRFTI registrar Deepak Kumar said the Dean’s Council unanimously recommended rustication of six students over “evidence of obstruction, intimidation, abuse, and physical assault on vice-chancellor Santosh Ajmera”. “At his stature, we expect him to make statements that are based on facts,” Ghosh said. Ajmera said: “Documented evidences show how gross student violations have compromised peaceful protest.
Meanwhile, anti-PM and anti-RSS slogans appeared on the institute’s exterior walls, raising security concerns. Shah alleged that the administration had retaliated against students demanding accountability by issuing show-cause notices, placing them under surveillance, threatening them and ordering them to vacate their hostels. Police had requested their removal, but the administration feared censorship allegations. He added that Ajmera had not assumed charge when permission for the ABGP event triggering the crisis was granted. Actor and BJP MLA Rudranil Ghosh questioned Shah’s understanding of the controversy. Actor Mia Maelzer, who occasionally taught at SRFTI, asked students: “Can cinema and film – the art you are studying – become the weapon of your self-defence? I don’t know but it is certainly a time to find out. Addressing authorities, she warned: “You are sending the country into chaos. He urged mediation rather than instigation.
Regarding the graffiti, Kumar said: “Internal examination has begun to identify who wrote those slogans on Saturday. Meanwhile, locks at the New CRT building were found broken on Friday night.