St Xavier’s University faces the heat of social wrath over teacher losing job for swimsuit pics

St Xavier’s University faces the heat of social wrath over teacher losing job for swimsuit pics

Hummingbird News Desk

KOLKATA, 16 AUG: In an incident that has been going viral on social media and left many outraged, Kolkata’s St Xavier’s University is now facing social wrath where thousands of people reportedly argued that the decision to force the resignation of the assistant professor as a reflection of the patriarchal mentality of the university authorities.

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As per reports, the teacher was forced to quit by the college authorities for posting pictures in swimsuit on her Instagram feed which the college authorities claimed was “besmirching” the reputation of the institution. 

After the news became viral, she was even slapped with a defamation notice by the university authorities, demanding damage compensation to the tune of Rs 99 crore on the ground that her action was an ‘ill-motivated’, ‘desperate’ and ‘dishonest’ attempt to open a closed chapter, thus causing immense and irreparable damage to the image of the institute.

Many social media users, women’s rights activists, academics and women teaching in colleges and universities across disciplines took to the internet to lodge their concerns and outrage against SXC’s handling of the incident, which many claimed amounted to sexit moral policing and slut shaming.

Recently, the students of the university put up posters within the campus describing the decision to force the resignation of the assistant professor as a reflection of the patriarchal mentality of the university authorities.

“I have been associated with the college for around two decades. The students’ union of the college or the university had been traditionally apolitical and students displaying posters within the campus against the authorities was unheard of in the past,” said a teacher of the college on condition of anonymity.

A petition has already been filed on this count, which has been signed by 20,000 individual, including educationists, psychologists, film and television artistes and members of the civil society. It has been forwarded to state Education Minister Bratya Basu seeking his intervention in the matter.

A social media campaign has also started against the university’s chancellor, FR Felix Raj, on this count, which has been signed and commented on by thousands of people, including several former and present students of both the college and the university.

However, despite the public uproar, the members of the university’s governing body have refrained from reaching out to the media to present their side of the argument.

St Xavier’s University, a Jesuit university established in February 2017, is the post-graduation extension of Kolkata’s iconic St Xavier’s College, which was founded in 1860.

While the college is located at Park Street in Kolkata, the campus for the university is located in New Town on the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

As per reports, photographs of a teacher with international degrees and a PhD, went viral among students. The teacher had been recruited as an Assistant Professor at St Xavier’s in August last year. 

In October, she got a call from college authorities inviting her for a meeting with the College VC Felix Raj. It was here that she found out about the allegations against her. the college authorities told her that they were taking action against the teacher based on complaints from a student’s family.

According to reports, the VC allegedly told the teacher that they had received written complaints against her from the guardian of a first year student who had been discovered looking at her “objectionable” and “inappropriate” photographs on Instagram. The teacher was told that her photographs allegedly “bordered on nudity”. In the images concerned, the teacher could be seen in swimwear and gym wear.

Following the incident, the teacher filed a complaint with the police citing sexual harassment and possible hacking.

Tags: #StXaviersUniversity #Swimsuit #SexualHarassment #Teacher

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