Stole votes for this in Bengal: Anurag Kashyap slams Kolkata film institute violence

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap reacted strongly to reports of campus violence at Kolkata's Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI), sharing an official statement issued by the institute's student union detailing alleged physical assaults on students.

Sharing a copy of the student body's statement on Instagram, Kashyap expressed sharp outrage over the incident and levelled a political critique. "This is what they stole the votes for in Bengal. This and so much more," the director wrote in his caption.

According to the statement issued by the SRFTI Student Union on September 27, 2026, clashes broke out on campus after students put up posters questioning an unannounced event held by the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) at the institute's Main Theatre. The student union noted that the student body had not been informed before permission was granted for the event.

The student union alleged that the confrontation quickly escalated into physical violence, claiming that members of the group attacked students—including women—using sticks, bricks, and stones. The document further stated that students were subjected to verbal abuse, chased across campus, and that the institute's librarian was also assaulted after several students sought shelter inside the campus library.

Following the escalation, police were alerted and arrived at the campus to restore order. The student union stated that it released the official document to counter "misleading and factually incorrect accounts" circulating online, adding that the events were documented through photographs and videos.

Conflicting accounts have since emerged regarding the confrontation, with both sides accusing each other of initiating the violence. Members of the ABGP alleged that protesting students tore down posters, disrupted their scheduled programme, and assaulted attendees, leaving four of their members hospitalised. The group also claimed that an image or statue of Swami Vivekananda was damaged during the scuffle.

Conversely, SRFTI authorities confirmed that heavy police deployment was brought in outside the central government-run institute to stabilise the situation, adding that administrative monitoring remained underway.

Meanwhile, Kashyap's last directorial was Bandar (2026), featuring actors Bobby Deol, Sanya Malhotra, Sapna Pabbi, Saba Azad, Indrajith Sukumuran, Raj B Shetty and Jitendra Joshi in key roles.

The crime thriller theatrically released on June 5, 2026 in India.