SRFTI
Praveen Mittal, who joined the sound recording course in 2023 after retiring from a govt job, told TOI that many in his batch of 60 students are “keen to complete the course and move out of the institute as early as possible. My semester started on Sept 1, 2025. As per syllabus, the duration of the semester is for 20 weeks. But I have already spent 13 months where we have only done a small exercise of long take of six weeks. The remaining 14-week schedule has been given but it has not been finalised. So this academic halt that is being done now has impacted us way before the Sept 27 incident happened.
However, the VC has mentioned that “these notices are not to be confused with the ongoing agitation” and have been served only to ensure that everyone follows the law of the land and the institute’s bylaws. The students are also demanding the unconditional rescheduling of all missed classes, the revocation of all show-cause notices and disciplinary actions against protesting students, independent inquiries into campus violence and staff misconduct, official temporary housing in staff quarters, immediate construction of a new hostel and the declaration of a “Zero Year” to prevent resource crunches. The notices mentioned that the officer-in-charge of Panchasayar police station had told the VC and the registrar that such “unparliamentary/provocative graffiti/remarks” are likely to “hurt public sentiments, cause breach of peace and disturb the tranquility of the area” and had requested immediate removal/erasure of them and strict vigilance to prevent recurrence. The notices mention that the committee constituted by SRFTI, “on examination of the available CCTV footage and other relevant visual evidences”, had identified the three students for being involved in that action. Another three students have been asked to explain their “misconduct involving unauthorised occupation of the VC’s office”. These notices were issued following reports of “unauthorised entry into and continued occupation of the VC’s office”, “obstruction” of his “access and official functioning” and “occupation” of his “chair” during the incident.
Kolkata : Amid the ongoing sit-in protest at SRFTI, eight students have been issued show-cause notices ranging from defacement of walls to assuming charge of vice-chancellor Santosh Ajmera without authority. The SRFTI students immediately shot off a letter to chairperson Suresh Gopi , demanding the immediate resignation of the VC and the appointment of an experienced, full-time successor following safety failures and intimidation surrounding violent incidents on campus. Three students have been issued notices for defacement of institute premises with unparliamentary and provocative slogans. Though students at large have either gone home or are boycotting classes during their campus stay, one 20th batch student is eager to resume classes as soon as possible. “I have already lodged a complaint with the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System about why students who want to attend classes are being stopped. I am in the fourth semester of the second year. The extended overstay which is unwarranted is causing a lot of financial and other burden on our guardians and families who eagerly await for our early returns and join them in earning for the family,” Mittal alleged.