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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Deepika Kumari leads Indian recurve archery team to dramatic World Cup gold
Shanghai (PTI): The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenager Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in a tense shoot-off to beat home favourites China and clinch the women's recurve team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 here on Sunday.
In a final marked by fluctuating fortunes, India edged past the home side 5-4 (28-26) in the shoot-off after the four-set regulation ended 4-4.
The victory was especially sweeter as India had earlier stunned record 10-time Olympic champions South Korea in the semifinals en route to their first World Cup women's team gold since 2021.
Deepika, who was also part of India's World Cup-winning teams in Guatemala City and Paris in 2021, now has seven World Cup team gold medals to her name since 2010.
It was also the Indian women recurve team's first World Cup medal in three years, its previous podium finish coming in Stage 4 in Paris in 2023 where Ankita was a member of the winning team.
India's campaign in Shanghai has thus already yielded two medals after compound archer Sahil Jadhav opened the country's account, securing a bronze on Saturday.
India also remained in contention for another podium finish later in the day with recurve archer Simranjeet Kaur set to compete in the semifinals. She is a win away from her maiden individual World Cup medal.
Travelling without a full-time national coach amid the continuing impasse over appointments, it was the vastly experienced Deepika who led from the front, constantly motivating her teammates during breaks and changeovers.
Prafull Dange, who was the designated women's recurve coach after his ward Kumkum topped the national trials, largely remained in the background as Deepika guided the side through the pressure moments against a hostile home crowd and vocal Chinese support staff.
Against a young Chinese side comprising Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and teenage archer Yu Qi, who all made their World Cup debuts only last year, India looked in control initially but nearly let the match slip after taking the opening set (54-53).
Shooting last in the Indian order, Deepika set the tone with successive 10s as India edged the first set despite Ankita (8-8) and 17-year-old Kumkum (10-8) putting up an inconsistent show.
Deepika continued her fine rhythm in the second set with another perfect 10 as India briefly held a one-point advantage (28-27) midway through the end. But China responded strongly with two 9s and a 10 in their final three arrows of the second set to post 55.
Ankita replied with a 9, but Kumkum managed only an 8, leaving Deepika needing a 10 to level the set.
The four-time Olympian, however, slipped to a 7 as India lost the set 52-55 and China drew level at 2-2.
The hosts then moved ahead in the third set. The teams were initially tied at 56, but a review upgraded China's final arrow from 8 to 9, handing them the set 57-56 and a 4-2 lead.
India appeared on the verge of defeat in the fourth set despite Deepika rediscovering her touch with two 10s. Kumkum's final arrow landed in the 7-ring as India posted a modest 54.
China required two 10s and a 9 from their last three arrows to seal the match.
Zhu and Huang delivered perfect 10s, leaving 18-year-old Yu Qi needing a 9 for victory in front of the home crowd.
But the youngster shot an 8, allowing India a dramatic escape and forcing a shoot-off.
The Indians peaked at the right moment in the decider. Ankita opened with a 9, Kumkum followed with a superb 10, and Deepika calmly delivered a 9 when only an 8 was needed to seal the title.
