Anurag Kashyap reacts to SRFTI campus clash, links it to 'vote chori' claims

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has spoken up about the violence at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata. On Sunday, September 27, students at the institute clashed with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP), and several people were hurt.

Kashyap posted the SRFTI Students' Union statement on Instagram and added a short note of his own: "This is what they stole the votes for in Bengal. This and so much more." The line points to the 'vote chori' allegations that have become part of the political debate around elections. He did not give his own account of what happened on campus.

The trouble started over an ABGP programme in the institute's main auditorium. The group says it paid Rs 15,000 for the hall, had permission from the authorities, and was holding an event on consumer awareness and organisational work. The Students' Union says students were never told about the booking before it was approved, and that some of them went to the auditorium to put up posters questioning the decision.

The students say things turned violent after that. The union alleges that students were punched, kicked and hit with sticks, stones and bricks, and that the attack spread to people who had no part in the protest. Students who ran to the library say they were followed inside, and the union claims the librarian was assaulted too. At a press conference, students said they were called "urban Naxals" and "terrorists". Reports say around 30 students and two teachers were injured. None of these allegations has been independently confirmed.

ABGP members reportedly have a different version. They say students disrupted their programme and tore down banners and posters. One member reportedly said four people from the group were admitted to hospital. Police are said to be investigating, and institute officials have reportedly described the situation as under control.

On the work front, Kashyap's most recent films as director are Nishaanchi and Bandar. Bandar reportedly stars Bobby Deol as a once popular rockstar whose career falls apart after he is accused of sexual harassment.