SRFTI impasse: Students firm on need for CISF deployment

Kolkata, April 7 After a tripartite meeting chaired by the Union minister for Information and Broadcasting Priyaranjan Dasmunsi on Sunday failed to break the impasse at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Jadavpur CPM MP, Sujan Chakraborty met with the institute chairman Buddhadeb Dasgupta and director Swapan Mullick on Monday.

"The SRFTI is like a family. Relations have become sour due to certain misgivings. I have asked the director to give me 2 to 3 days time to find a solution," Chakraborty said, adding that the situation had almost reached a point of no return.

Meanwhile, the students have remained firm on their demand for CISF deployment. "We have made our stand very clear in the meeting with the minister on Sunday. We prefer deployment of CISF personnel, as it would keep away the 'outsiders' from playing a role in the institute. We want to see our institute grow and save it from politics," said Harinder Singh, one of the students present in the meeting.

Responding to it, Chakraborty said, "It is not a good idea to deploy CSIF men in an educational institution. They are meant for industries. Deployment of CISF should ideally be avoided." He will not be attending the emergency meeting convened by Dasmunsi in New Delhi On April 8.