Viral videos show female prof getting 'married' to student in classroom, varsity orders probe
Kolkata, Jan 29 (PTI): 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."
"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.
A lady Professor in MAKAUT is 'getting married' to her young student in the office. pic.twitter.com/coXaVGH7s7
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Rupee falls 28 paise to 94.77 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 28 paise to 94.77 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday as market sentiment took a dramatic turn after reports emerged that the US and Iran are discussing a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at reducing tensions and reopening negotiations.
Forex traders said Brent oil prices, which had fallen to USD 98 on the US-Iran peace deal, edged slightly higher to USD 101 per barrel after investors weighed the prospects for a Middle East peace deal.
Moreover, factors such as unabated foreign capital outflows amid rising geopolitical uncertainties further dented investor sentiment.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 94.77 against the US dollar, registering a fall of 28 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee appreciated 69 paise to close at 94.49 against the US dollar.
"Markets are currently focused on the critical 48-hour window during which the US expects Tehran’s formal response through Pakistani mediators," said CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 98.01, down 0.01 per cent.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.65 per cent at USD 101.83 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex declined 160.24 points to 77,798.28 in early trade, while the Nifty was down 30.25 points to 24,300.70.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 5,834.90 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
On the domestic macroeconomic front, the country's goods and services exports rose 4.6 per cent to an all-time high of USD 863.11 billion during 2025-26, up from USD 825.26 billion in 2024-25, despite global economic uncertainties, according to revised commerce ministry data.
Merchandise exports grew 0.93 per cent to USD 441.78 billion in the last fiscal year from USD 437.70 billion in 2024-25, the data showed.
