Full Breakdown
Campus Clash Over Alleged RSS Event at Kolkata Film Institute
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Background on ABGP and RSS Ties
The Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) is a consumer-rights organization that, according to students, aligns itself with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The RSS is a right-wing Hindu organization that serves as the ideological parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The SRFTI student union reported that the ABGP gathering was presented as a film screening but was, in their view, a direct promotion of RSS ideology on campus.
Core Incident
During the gathering, a confrontation erupted after the student union questioned the ABGP members about the event’s purpose. Students allege that ABGP participants attacked them with knives, labeling the protesters “anti-nationals” and “Naxals.” Video clips circulating on social media appear to show students with knife wounds, though the authenticity of the footage has not been independently verified. The campus remains tense, with students staying inside the institute while ABGP members are gathered outside.
Key Participants
- Poorvi Bondre – Editing student from Maharashtra and member of the SRFTI student union; reported the incident and described the event as an RSS-affiliated gathering.
- ABGP members – Representatives of the consumer-rights group present at the meeting; accused the students of anti-national behavior according to student accounts.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This was an RSS event. We were completely unaware of this event. When we asked them what this was about, the fight started,” — Poorvi Bondre
The incident highlights ongoing friction on Indian campuses where student groups contest the presence of organizations linked to the RSS, raising concerns about campus safety and the politicization of academic spaces.