Day 4: Ousted securitymen still guard SRFTI

This, despite the institute director having written to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee about the worsening situation in the campus before downing shutters on April 1. SRFTI Director Swapan Mullick said on Friday that he had written to Bhattacharjee at least twice in the recent past.

He had said earlier that the institute management had decided not to renew the contract with Star Security and Detective Agency as their services were found to be unsatisfactory. As their contract expired on March 31, the new contract was given to G D Security Agency. However, officials told The Indian Express that the proprietor of Star Agency had told SRFTI management that he was “unable to control his men”. The agitating securitymen have not allowed the personnel of the new agency to enter the institute. “We wrote to Bhattacharjee apprising him how the security guards were bringing the campus to a halt. After that, the only improvement was that the security guards stopped their abusive behaviour, including gheraoing institute officials and raising slogans. Apart from the CM, we had approached many top-ranking officials.”

Security guards from the ousted security agency were still manning the gates of the institute on Friday afternoon, with the personnel refusing to accept that their contract with the SRFTI was over. Mullick said, “The police still refuse to remove these security guards from our campus. They are here illegally as we have decided not to renew the contract with their agency.”

A security guard said, “There is no new security agency, we are the only ones.”

Senior SRFTI officials said security was of top concern for the management as there are equipment worth over Rs 80 crore in the institute.