Kolkata: Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute students’ demonstration outside vice-chancellor Santosh Ajmera’s office, demanding his resignation over campus violence on Sept 27 and Oct 4, entered its second day on Tuesday, even as classes remained suspended for the 16th day.The protest for an indefinite period began on Monday even as classes remained suspended following violence between students and members of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), an RSS-affiliated consumer awareness group, on Sept 27 during a programme.While a majority of students have left the institute after the two incidents, those who remained on campus demanded the resignation of the VC. In a press release issued late on Monday, the union laid down the qualifications of a new VC, stating it “must” be a person who had “adequate years of experience in film-making and who thoroughly understood from experience how a film institute was meant to function”.“SRFTI is not merely an academic institute but a school of practice, where learning happens on sets, in edit rooms, in sound studios and at screenings, often late into the night. As young artistes, its students need a head who appreciates the environment needed to create: freedom of expression and dissent, access to campus spaces during shoots and screenings, a sense of physical and emotional safety and a culture of dialogue between administration and students. Art cannot be made in an atmosphere of fear, threat, or coercion,” the press release mentioned.SRFTI VC Ajmera chose not to react to the demands for a VC’s qualifications cited by the students. Instead, he said, “Students have the right to voice their opinions on various issues. But work can’t stop. As am here, I will continue to work for the benefit of both the faculty and the students and try to give them the maximum exposure,” Ajmera said.The students also demand that the additional charge of VC be withdrawn from Ajmera with immediate effect, and a full-time VC be appointed exclusively for SRFTI (and FTII Itanagar, if applicable), with no additional charge elsewhere.The new vice-chancellor, the students said, “must be willing” to meet the students’ body openly and “in good faith, to engage with its representatives on equal terms” and to give due weightage to the safety, mental health and well-being of students, especially in the aftermath of the Sept 27 and Oct 4 violence.Reacting to student qualifications mentioned in the release, a campus insider said Ajmera brought extensive expertise in cultural administration and media management. This background includes over five years implementing the National Film Heritage Mission, over eight years working on international film festivals like IFFI, and authoring 10 books, including ‘100 Landmark Judgements’, released by the Prime Minister for UPSC centenary celebrations. Furthermore, his academic credentials feature a Master’s degree in international electoral management and practices from ECI and TISS, executive certifications from IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIT Mumbai.
