Kolkata: Viral videos show female professor getting 'married' to student in classroom, college initiated probe

KOLKATA: Viral videos of a senior female professor getting "married" to a student in the classroom at a state-run university in West Bengal triggered a furore, following which an inquiry was ordered on Wednesday, officials said. The professor claimed that it was a drama that was part of her class.

The incident happened at the Applied Psychology Department of the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT) at Haringhata in Nadia district, they said. The videos showed the professor, who was dressed like a bride, and a first-year student performing various rituals of a Hindu Bengali wedding, including 'sindoor daan' and 'mala bodol', in the classroom.

As the videos went viral, triggering criticism and outrage, the varsity formed a three-member inquiry panel and sought clarification from the professor, officials said. The professor told the varsity authorities that it was a psycho-drama demonstration, which was part of her class, and not real, they said.

The videos were taken for in-house documentation and were "leaked" to show the Applied Psychology Department in a poor light, she claimed. The professor was, however, asked to go on leave till the inquiry is concluded, officials said.

The inquiry is being conducted by a committee, comprising three female faculty members of other departments, they said. MAKAUT's officiating vice-chancellor Tapas Chakraborty said, "The professor has explained that it was part of a demonstration on her subject. The videos were not for external circulation."

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'Purely academic project,' claims student.

"She emphasised that there was no impropriety, no immoral conduct and it was purely an academic project. But, in the wake of the controversy and the videos going viral on social media, we have asked her to proceed on leave for the time being, till the committee submits its findings," he said.

The student has also been asked not to join classes till the probe is concluded, he added. The professor later told reporters that the entire recording was not uploaded on social media, and only some parts were posted with an "ulterior motive". "I fail to comprehend how it was considered to be real. There seems to be an ulterior motive behind deliberately editing one part of the entire thing and uploading it on social media, giving a different twist. Being a single woman, I am shaken and upset over the attempts to malign me," she said.

"I have already initiated legal process against attempts to malign me," she added. She expressed gratitude to the varsity authorities "for understanding my position and being on my side". "They have asked me not to report for work till the inquiry is complete and I respect the decision," she said.