SRFTI students continue relay hunger strike

Agitating students of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) here continued their relay fast for the fourth day today but "have agreed" on the issue of girls and boys being accommodated in separate hostels.
The institute has been in the news since October 17 when protests rocked the campus against the expulsion of the 14 girl students from the institute over their refusal to shift to the newly built girls' hostel from a common accomodation which also had boys in a separate wing.
SRFTI Students' Body president Akshay Gouri told PTI that there had been some "positive developments" since last evening.

"Though we will not lift our relay hunger strike till the unconditional revocation of expulsion order of 14 girl students over segregation issue, we have agreed to boys and girls being accomodated in separate hostels," he said.
SRFTI director Debamitra Mitra said, "I hope a solution will be found soon. The SRFTI faculty and staff are united and they are communicating with the students."
The students are on relay hunger strike since Saturday night demanding unconditional revocation of the expulsion order.

The SRFTI director said, "The students are our children and whatever measures we take is for their well-being. We have explained to them as to why they have to give it to us in writing why they had opposed being shifted to the new hostel."

Meanwhile, Gouri claimed that administrative work was not stopped today and the students were not "preventing the director, the faculty or other staff members from attending office and discharging duty."
He expressed hope about the authorities handing over a letter revoking the expulsion.
"We are here to study and finish our projects but of course we have democratic rights to air our views," he said.
Mitra said that the authorities had decided to build a separate hostel for girls besides upgrading the curriculum and infrastructure of the institute after securing the approval of the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry in 2013.