Kolkata, Oct 29 (PTI) The agitating students of theSatyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) here havelaunched a relay hunger strike, demanding an unconditionalrevocation of the expulsion of 14 girl students.
The institute has been in the limelight since October 17,after protests against the girl students' expulsion rocked thecampus.
The relay hunger strike was launched at 10 pm yesterday,one of the expelled students, Rupkatha Purakayastha, told PTI.
She said the SRFTI management, which had earlier agreedto reconsider the expulsion order and sit for talks with thestudents, had now put forward conditions such as the expelledstudents must submit a written undertaking that they would notresort to any such agitation in the future.
"We consider this an attempt to throttle the voice of ourdemocratic protest and hence, had to resort to the relayhunger strike. We may go for an indefinite hunger strike, ifthe authorities are unrelenting," Purakayastha added.
She also said the agitating students would not disruptthe classes tomorrow or prevent the director of the institute,Debamitra Mitra, from entering the campus.
"We will not physically prevent anyone from doing theirduty," she added.
Mitra, who was gheraoed by the agitating studentsyesterday, had maintained that it was not possible to acceptthe demand for an unconditional revocation of the expulsion ofthe 14 students, who refused to shift to a new hostel.
The students alleged that building a separateaccommodation facility for girls was an act of moral policing,a charge denied by the director.
Mitra had said the authorities had decided to build aseparate ladies hostel and upgrade the curriculum andinfrastructure of the institute after receiving an approvalfrom the Union information and broadcasting ministry in 2013in this regard.
She had said the objective behind shifting the girls tothe new hostel was to ensure students' safety. PTI SUS RBTRC.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.
