Naseeruddin Shah wants to weaken democracy in the country: BJP

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah. File | Photo credit: ANI

A war of words erupted after veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while supporting Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) students who went on an indefinite sit-in over violent incidents on campus.

Mr Shah alleged that the BJP was “retaliating” against anyone who did not subscribe to its beliefs and policies. The BJP leadership in West Bengal questioned the actor’s motives and said that the actor wanted to weaken democracy in the country. BJP Rajya Sabha member Rahul Sinha has called for a full probe into the veteran actor’s criticism of the party over the ongoing agitation in SRFTI, saying his remarks could be linked to an international conspiracy.

Mr. Sinha alleged that Mr. Shah had suddenly emerged from a long period of inactivity to make political statements against the BJP. Another BJP leader and MLA Ritesh Tewari said Mr Shah was an opponent of the BJP and the Sangh. “I also know his elder brother. His daughter is married in Calcutta; she is the daughter-in-law of a CPI(M) leader and even contested the elections. When ministers from West Bengal and the mayor of Calcutta were raising the slogan of Dawat-e-Islam, why was Naseeruddin silent?” said Kashipur Beleghata MLA.

In a video message, Mr. Shah appealed to all right-minded citizens to support SRFTI’s demands.

“The latest victims of this vendetta are students, aspiring filmmakers from the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute. In return for their demand for accountability from the administration, they have been served show-cause notices, watched, threatened and now even asked to leave the hostels,” the actor said in a video message.

Blame it on power outages

On Sunday (October 25, 2026), a section of SRFTI students alleged that the power supply to the only classroom where they had access to internet and workstations was disconnected and accused the administration of stepping up measures forcing them to call off their agitation.

Earlier on October 15, 2026, six SRFTI students were charged for allegedly vandalizing and tampering with the Vice Chancellor’s office. Students and administration of the film school are at loggerheads after a clash between a right-wing organization and a section of students broke out on campus on October 4.

In a statement on Sunday, SRFTI Registrar Deepak Kumar clarified that disciplinary proceedings against some students were initiated for alleged misconduct, vandalism, defacement and physical assault and not for exercising their right to protest.

“The institute categorically clarifies that the disciplinary proceedings initiated against certain students are related to specific acts, vandalism, humiliation and physical assault… Any attempt to link these actions to the legitimate exercise of the students’ right to protest distorts both the facts and the specific grounds on which the proceedings were initiated,” the statement added.

Published – 25 Oct 2026 22:19 IST