SRFTI clash erupts over ABGP event: Students allege assault; BJP calls it ‘ugly face of Leftists’

According to reports, ABGP, which is backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), had organised the event at the auditorium.

Students reportedly objected to the programme, questioning why such an event was held at the institute.

The confrontation later escalated into a clash, with students alleging that they were assaulted by ABGP members.

NDTV reported that several students and professors were injured in the incident.

ABGP members, however, alleged that they were beaten up by the students and that posters and banners put up for the event were torn down.

The incident reportedly began around 2 pm.

Situation escalates outside campus

The situation escalated further in the evening when ABGP supporters gathered outside the campus gate and allegedly threw stones and water bottles at protesting students while attempting to enter the institute.

A large police contingent rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

Police personnel remained stationed at the institute, while two students were reportedly questioned after ABGP filed a complaint alleging that posters and banners featuring 'Bharat Mata' had been torn down.

Students allege assault

In a statement, SRFTI students said they had not been informed about the event before permission was granted for it to be held at the institute.

According to the students' statement, around 2 pm, a group of students went to the Main Theatre to put up posters questioning the institute's decision to allow the event without informing the student community.

The students alleged that ABGP members confronted them and attempted to remove them from the theatre, after which the situation escalated into physical violence.

The statement alleged that students, including women, were verbally abused and called "anti-national" and "cockroaches".

It further alleged that members of the group physically attacked students using punches, kicks, stones, bricks, sticks and other objects.

"Students were chased through the campus, including students who were not part of the protest," the statement alleged.

According to the students, several of them sought shelter inside the library, but the group followed them there and the librarian was also allegedly assaulted.

"The library was surrounded, leaving students and staff in a situation of fear inside their own institute," the statement said.

The students further alleged that some were chased, their clothes were torn and phones were forcibly taken.

Sukanta Majumdar shares videos

Union Minister of State for Education and BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar shared videos of the incident on X, accusing left-leaning students of tearing down, kicking and desecrating posters, including one featuring Swami Vivekananda, during the protest against the ABGP event.

The footage showed a crowded hall, with students pulling down large event banners and physical scuffles taking place both on and off the stage. Raised fists and banners being thrown and trampled were also visible amid slogans, including "RSS, go back".

Majumdar wrote on X, "The ugly face and disgraceful mindset of the Leftists have once again been exposed in public today!"

"Today's acts of disrespect, including kicking the image of Swami Vivekananda Ji, are not merely an insult to a globally revered monk and thinker; they constitute a profound affront to the heritage and culture of Bengal and to the dignity and self-respect of the Bengali community," the BJP MP added.

SFI condemns incident

Condemning the incident, Students' Federation of India (SFI) general secretary Srijan Bhattacharya said, "We have been witnessing similar incidents of violence at various colleges, including Jadavpur University, and now SRFTI is the latest.

"A lot of students from different states study here. What message are we sending to them? I urge the police and administration to ensure the safety of the students and restore an atmosphere conducive to education."

SRFTI clash adds to growing campus tensions in BJP-ruled Bengal

The SRFTI clash assumes added significance coming weeks after violent confrontations between ABVP and SFI supporters at Jadavpur University, where rival student groups clashed and police were deployed following tensions on campus.

The latest incident also involves an RSS-linked organisation and has drawn competing allegations from students and the organisers, while BJP leaders have publicly criticised the students' actions.

The developments put renewed focus on political tensions on campuses in West Bengal, particularly at prominent institutions, at a time when the BJP government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is still in its first year in office.