“They think they can beat us into submission,” says Neha Bora in Kolkata

All India Students Association (AISA) National President Neha Bora at a convention at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, West Bengal on October 5, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI

Authorities think they can beat dissidents into submission and bring them to their knees, All India Students Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora told a convention of students from various academic institutions in Kolkata on Monday (Oct 5, 2026) against the crackdown on dissent. The participants called for action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the recent “voter crisis” in West Bengal and elsewhere in India.

Students from the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Indian Statistical Institute and Jadavpur University and various student organizations participated in the convention to protest what they called multiple attacks on the institutions.

“West Bengal has always defended itself and the entire country… Now it is up to Bengal to defend not only itself but also the democracy of our country,” Ms Bora said. The mandate that brought the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in West Bengal was proved to be a lie and needed to be challenged, she added.

People in power have been shown what it means to speak truth to power and that in the coming days even the highest authorities will be brought to justice and lose their chairs as people come together to fight against wrongs, she said.

“They think they will rule Bengal with an iron hand; for that they have designed something special and built SIR (Special Intensive Revision)… The common people of the country have one power, that is the power to vote, but it has been taken away from us with lies,” Ms Bora said.

This is the first time that Ms. Bora has made a public appearance after being detained for three consecutive days in Delhi during the protests against the CEC, Mr. Kumar.

“They think they can beat us into submission and bring us to our knees by using brute force. But they don’t understand that we came from the legacy of the left and have never been beaten into submission,” Ms Bora said. Throughout history, they (the left) have always shown what human power can do, she said.

Attack on SRFTI

“As art and film students, we will continue to fight against any sense of oppression and fascism and against any government that tries to promote fascism,” said Blossom Hazarika, president of SRFTI student union. They were now living in a state of fear, the attack on educational institutions was a repeated pattern carried out by the present government, he said.

The authorities wanted to silence the voices of students and people on the fringes of society, and therefore there were repeated attacks on several educational institutions. said Mr. Hazarika.

On Sunday (October 4), a group of miscreants tried to force their way into SRFTI while students stood guard at the gate. It was the second time in 10 days that a film institute in Kolkata was attacked.

Various murals and murals at the institute were whitewashed on Monday (October 5).

“You can attack our bodies, but you cannot attack our art and our imagination,” said Subham, vice president of the SRFTI student union.

Published – 5 Oct 2026 23:33 IST