By Matters India Reporter

Kolkata, Aug 19, 2022: Jesuit-managed St Xavier’s University in Kolkata has denied allegations that it has forced a teacher to resign.

“It may kindly be specifically noted that St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata, has not forced any teacher to resign. And it is most humiliating to even assume that St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata, would force any teacher to resign,” says press note from Jesuit Father Xavier Raj, vice chancellor of the university.

He was responding to media reports and social media posts that alleged the university officials and some teachers had forced the resignation of a female teacher.

The press note regretted that the reports “unilaterally” mentioned the university’s name without revealing the teacher’s identity.

“Needless to mention which you yourself will agree and appreciate that the University has believed and continues to believe in preserving and maintaining the dignity and honor of all its teachers, staff members and students and others connected with it, past and present.”

It further added that the university respects the privacy of each of them and therefore has made all possible efforts that there is no such breach of privacy.

The vice chancellor’s note then sought people’s cooperation to “discontinue such publications so that the University’s name is not maligned.”

Earlier, a former assistant professor of English in the university alleged that authorities forced her to quit on the charges of posting her photos on Instagram that it says were ‘objectionable’ and ‘inappropriate.’

The university had also alleged that the pictures has ‘besmirched” its reputation.

The professor has further alleged that the process of sacking her amounted to sexual harassment and character assassination.

The teacher is a former student of the university and holds doctorates from two European universities.

The university maintains that the teacher resigned voluntarily.

She joined the university on August 9, 2021. On October 7, 2021, she reportedly received a call from the vice-chancellor’s office asking her to be present for a meeting with him the same day.

She was reportedly taken to a conference room where seven persons were present. She knew only three, including Father Raj. The four others were women, members of an ’emergency committee’ formed by the university.

The teacher’s complaint at Purba Jadavpur police station on October 24, 2021, said the vice chancellor told her that the university had received a written complaint from the father of a first year student, alleging that he had seen his son looking at the teacher’s Instagram pictures which were ‘objectionable’ and ‘bordered on nudity.’

A paper with thumbnails of some photographs printed on them was circulated among those present and the teacher was asked to confirm if they were pictures, he police complaint said.

She found them to be her pictures, although she was not told how they had been obtained or whether those were the same pictures the student was found looking.

Her complaint explained that she had posted as an instagram story her two pictures in a blue swimsuit taken in her room. It was in June 2021, nearly two months before she joined the university.

She also asserted the photo could not be still accessible since an Instagram Story, by default, is live for only 24 hours. Her Instagram profile is ‘private’ and not ‘public,’ which means only those she accepted as followers could view her posts and pictures.

“Those two pictures could not have been viewed by the said student in October 2021,” her complaint asserted.

She also alleged alleged ‘suspected hacking’ of her social media profile and ‘sexual harassment.’

According to her police complaint, during the meeting, the vice chancellor remarked that the teacher could be jailed if the complainant lodged a first information report. He also asked her if her parents approved of her Instagram posts.

The following day, the teacher submitted a letter of apology for offending members of university by her social media posts.

When she handed over the letter the vice chancellor advised her to resign because her images had reportedly become ‘viral’ in the student community. The committee had unanimously recommended her removal, he told the teacher, according to the police complaint.

The vice chancellor offered two options – resign voluntarily or the university terminates her service.

After the meeting, the teacher tested Covid-19 positive and on recovery she resigned on October 25, 2021.

Her resignation letter said that the vice chancellor had not explained how the photographs were accessed.

“Instead, arbitrary and primitive standards of ‘morality’ have been used to shame and objectify my photographs and my body…” she wrote.

The vice chancellor replied November 1 denying the university had conducted any ‘trial.’ Nor had there been any criminal intimidation from their side, he asserted.

“You decided to resign…with immediate effect,” he wrote.

Allegations were ‘false, frivolous, fabricated,’ the university said.

It then sought an unconditional apology from the teacher and a compensation of 990 million for ‘causing immense and irreparable damage’ to the university’s ‘good name, fame and goodwill.’

Meanwhile, the case was transferred to the Techno City police station. On February 24, an FIR was finally lodged on the basis of the teacher’s complaint, against unknown persons.

5 Comments

  1. As reported in Times of India (17th August 2022), The West Bengal Women’s Commission has sought from Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate the probe details of the St Xavier’s University case, in which a teacher was allegedly forced to quit over a swimsuit photo. Commission chairperson , Leena Gangopadhyay, expects police to submit the identity of the student’s guardian, whose complaint led to the incident. What will Fr Felix Raj do now? Will he term West Bengal Women’s Commission’s insistence on the report as violation of Article 30 – Outside interference into the Rights of Minority Institutions?

    in its legal response, (a copy of which was forwarded to Times of India by the former assistant professor), St Xavier’s University had said, “On 04.10.2021, at 7:44pm, an email with subject matter ‘Complaint’… was received from one Mr B K Mukherjee (identifying himself as father of a student), from email address bkmukherjee06@gmail.com … with copy to the VC office (SXUK, the Registrar (SXUK), Prof Medha Bhadra Chowdhury (convener, women & gender cell, SXUK) and and Dr Soma Sur (chairperson, internal complaints committee, SXUK).”

    On Tuesday, August 16, TOI sent an email to this ID but the mail bounced and automated response said: “Your message wasn’t delivered to bkmukherjee06@gmail.com because the address couldn’t be found or it is unable to receive mail.” The teacher told TOI, “I find it intriguing the email ID isn’t reachable any more… this raises pressing questions. I am counting on the probe. The university should offer some answers as to whether they had checked the authenticity of the complainant.”

    West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairperson Ananya Chakraborti, a former assistant professor at St Xavier’s College said, “Either the guardian has deleted his ID or blocked all. It can be a fake ID. The institute’s silence on the controversy is sad. St Xavier’s has lost its moral high ground.”

  2. The observations on St Xavier’s University Kolkata (SXUK) by Isaac Gomes are very crisp and clinical. By the way, the prime job of a Jesuit priest is reconciliation, humility and renunciation. Fr Felix Raj is a priest just for namesake. He lacks all these qualities preached by St Ignatius who founded the Jesuits Congregation. Also both St Xavier’s College and the University should stop calling themselves Christian Minority Institutions. The number of Christian students in both the college and university is well below ten per cent. Our own Christian students, especially those from socially and economically backgrounds, feel like Internally Displaced migrants in our own institutes. Non-Christian students especially those from the creamy layer, form ninety per cent. No wonder, our Minority Institutions like SXC & SXUK are not producing Christian leaders both in politics and in the corporate world. The founding members must be restless in their graves and it is high time they visited Felix Raj who thinks no end of himself. By the way, Scottish Church College reserves 30% of seats for Christian students. So does St Stephen’s College, New Delhi. SXC and SXUK have become Banias (businessmen). No wonder SXUK slaps a demand notice of Rs 99 crore on the ousted Assistant Professor. By the way, West Bengal Education Minister is Bratya Basu (and not Banerjee – must have been a typing error).

  3. In the points:
    – The Instagram photographs of the Assistant Professor even if ‘objectionable’ and ‘inappropriate’ were posted by her in June 2011, and
    – The Assistant Professor’s assertion that her photos could not have been accessible after June 2011 since an Instagram Story, by default, is live for only 24 hours

    June 2011 is a typing error and should read June 2021.

  4. From a layperson’s point of view, the case study in the above report can be dispassionately dissected as follows:

    • The Instagram photographs of the Assistant Professor even if ‘objectionable’ and ‘inappropriate’ were posted by her in June 2011, two months before she joined the university in August 2021. It was not done during the tenure of her service. So why was the Enquiry Commission to look into her conduct?
    • The photographs purely relate to her private space and SXUK or anybody has no business to intrude into her privacy without her prior permission to those whom she accepted as followers to get access to her posts and pictures.
    • The Assistant Professor’s assertion that her photos could not have been accessible after June 2011 since an Instagram Story, by default, is live for only 24 hours, is a matter to be ascertained by the cybercrime department and is also a matter of law.
    • Interestingly in none of the reports on the social media it has been mentioned that SXUK interrogated the concerned student or it approached the cybercrime department to find out how he got access to his professor’s `private’ photos.
    • The observation that her photographs in swimsuit ‘bordered on nudity’ is highly objectionable and definitely very insulting to her; and it will be up to the court of law to opine whether this amounts to sexual harassment or not on the part of SXUK.
    • Also it is up to the court to decide the sexual harassment angle of the Assistant Professor’s “Instead, arbitrary and primitive standards of ‘morality’ have been used to shame and objectify my photographs and my body…” statement.
    • The issue could have been handled with much greater sensitivity initially only by the SXUK Women & Gender Cell Head (a lady), instead of throwing up the Assistant Professor in front of two male members (Fr Felix and the Registrar) and four outsiders. The two overpowering male members should not have been on the Committee.
    • For any inquiry/hearing, advance official notice is given, with names and details of the members of the Enquiry Committee. This was NOT DONE. The professor reportedly received a call from the vice-chancellor’s office asking her to be present for a meeting with him the same day.
    • That the teacher could be jailed if the complainant lodged a first information report. Here the question is who is the complainant? Was it the father or his son, the student? How can a student of a university be a Minor?
    • Fr Felix Raj and his Enquiry Committee members’ question “whether the Assistant Professor’s parents approved of her Instagram posts”, is simply outlandish/bizarre. How can SXUK authorities expect an adult of 30 years (mentioned in various reports) to seek prior permission from her parents to upload her Instagram posts? This is absolutely churlish!
    • As reported in the Wire of 13th August 2022, in its legal response, SXUK had said, “On 04.10.2021, at 7:44 pm, an email with subject matter ‘Complaint’… was received from one Mr. B. K. Mukherjee (identifying himself as father of a student of SXUK) from email address bkmukherjee06@gmail.com … with copy to: 1) the VC Office (SXUK), 2) the Registrar (SXUK) , 3) Prof. Medha Bhadra Chowdhury (Convener, Women & Gender Cell) SXUK and 4) Dr. Soma Sur (Chairperson, Internal Complaints Committee) SXUK.”
    • Since the authenticity of the letter and its sender came into question, The Wire tried to find out more about it. To begin with, the investigating officer of the case, Koushik Ghosh of Techno City police station, said he was yet to find the said B.K. Mukherjee.
    • During the meeting on October 7, the assistant professor was told that the complainant was the father of an undergraduate first-year student. The Wire accessed lists of names of all students from 2021 UG Semester I (there were only three departments then: English, Economics and Mass Communication). Only the English department had two male students with the surname Mukherjee taking admission.
    • One of them had left the university before the incident. The Wire has spoken to his father, who has denied sending the letter. The other student’s father is not named B.K. Mukherjee, according to records accessed by The Wire.
    • The Wire also tried sending an e-mail to the parent’s e-mail address mentioned by the university. The mail bounced and an automated response from Gmail said, “The email account you tried to reach does not exist.”
    Readers may refer to the following links to get an overall view of the SXUK fiasco:

    https://thewire.in/education/xaviers-students-protest-teacher-forced-resignation
    The Wire 13 August 2022

    https://www.news18.com/news/education-career/celebrities-post-pics-in-swimsuits-stating-take-that-xaviers-support-professor-sacked-over-instagram-photos-5774485.html
    News18.com dated 18 August 2022

    https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/imageview/405661/2031067/71.html
    https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/imageview/405663/203737134/71.html

    The Telegraph dated 18.08.2022. In this interview, Fr Felix says, “If she had come back to the (SXUK) campus on 21st October after Puja vacation immediately, I would have called her and REPRIMAND her and tell her not to do that again and join. Where on earth does Fr Felix Raj derive the right to “reprimand” a professor who had done her doctorate from two European universities? Has he got this divine right from his ordination or from the Indian Constitution?

    https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/imageview/405758/20520692/71.html
    Reply by the Assistant Professor of SXUK in The Telegraph 19 August 2022
    https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/imageview/405863/194648954/71.html
    Telegraph 20, August 2022 – Plea to West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Banerjee to intervene

    It would be worth one’s watch how the situation pans out if the Assistant Professor pursues her case legally, especially after being slapped with a Rs 99 crore defamation suit. On the face of it, the case is not as cut and dry as SXUK is trying to make it appear.

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