Will hold talks, won't budge from sending girls to separate hostel: SRFTI director
The SRFTI director said that the students will have to withdraw their eight-day long agitation and allow the institute to function.
Kolkata: The Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute is ready to hold talks with agitating students on all issues but will not budge from its decision of shifting women to a separate hostel, its Director, Debamitra Mitra, said on Tuesday.
The SRFTI director said that the students will have to withdraw their eight-day long agitation and allow the institute to function. They will have to show the intention to hold fruitful talks, she added.
"We are not in favour of taking any drastic action against our students like calling the police. We can definitely talk on the 27 points raised by them. But the decision of shifting the girls to the new hostel is non-negotiable," she said.
Asked if the administration was willing to revoke the expulsion of the 14 girls over their refusal to shift to the new hostel, Mitra said the students' body would first have to give up their demand for withdrawal of the segregation order and allow the institute to function.
"At a faculty meeting last evening at my residence, we decided to ensure resumption of academic and administrative activities at the earliest. We are asking the agitating students to cooperate," she said.
Mitra had on Monday claimed that she was not allowed to enter the campus by students who demanded the expulsion of the girl students be withdrawn and the segregation order put on hold.
Asked if the information and broadcasting ministry was aware of the situation, Mitra said, "We are taking decisions we deem fit and the I&B Ministry is aware of the developments."
The authorities decided to build a separate girls' hostel, upgrade curriculum and infrastructure at the institute after receiving approval from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 2013.
Earlier, boys and girls had separate accommodation in the same block of the old hostel. After receiving the I&B Ministry's approval, a new girls' hostel was built. Mitra stated that the objective behind shifting the girls to the new hostel was to ensure their safety.