Jadavpur University Student Accuses Teacher Of Backing Professor Who Harassed Her

A first-year postgraduate female student of Jadavpur University, who had charged a faculty member with "sexually harassing" her during an examination last week, now accused another teacher of declaring her "guilty of a crime" even before the start of an investigation into her complaint.

By "crime", she was referring to resorting to unfair means during the semester examination, of which she was accused.

She sent her first complaint to the university Registrar Snehamanju Basu on February 21 while the second one was mailed on Tuesday.

The university authorities said they received both emails and the first one was forwarded to the internal complaints committee for an impartial probe.

In the first mail, the Journalism and Mass Communication department student alleged that the accused teacher, a former head of the department, got her "uncomfortably frisked in front of male students" during the first-semester examination alleging she was cheating but, she claimed, nothing was found.

In the second mail, the student said the incident was reported in the media which quoted another teacher who came in support of the accused professor.

"In these media reports, I could see that one person, a professor, who is a representative of Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA), made statements to the press already insinuating I am guilty of a crime, even before the commencement of an investigation," the woman said.

She claimed that such a stand by a senior teacher, who is not part of her department, may influence the investigation process and she is afraid of not getting justice.

She also said that following her first mail, the university authorities have postponed the examinations and other students are suffering because of her complaint.

JUTA General Secretary Partha Pratim Roy, whose statement was reported in the media in connection with the incident, refused to comment on the second mail.

Roy had told PTI earlier that according to information available with JUTA, the student was caught by a lady invigilator while resorting to unfair means during a test.

"If such charges are levelled against invigilators, we will think twice about continuing that duty," he had said.

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