3 SRFTI teachers suspended for 'sexually harassing' girls

KOLKATA: Three faculty members at the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata have been put under suspension following complaints of sexual harassment against them. The institute has set up an internal committee to probe into both verbal and written complaints filed by some students.
The allegations of harassment surfaced at a meeting last month of all female students with the chairperson of the Internal Complaints Committee for Sexual Harassment.
"We were asked if we had any complaints. Initially, we didn't realize why the meet ing was called. Then we found out that some complaints had reached the director and it had been decided that all girl students would be asked if they faced any problems," said one of the 20 students who attended the meeting. The institute has around 30 female students.
SRFTI dean Nilotpal Ma jumdar said, "We have always tried to ensure that a healthy teacher-student relationship is maintained on campus. In this case, we have responded to the complaints.A probe is on. We have sent letters to the three faculty members asking them to stay away from campus."
Many of the girls opened up at the meeting. The charges included faculty members engaging in body shaming in class. Some girls alleged that these faculty members also passed comments of sexual nature. "They even gave physical descriptions of students as an example to demonstrate various situations involving cinema," said a student. There were multiple charges against the three faculty members. "A student had earlier been suspended because he was stalking a girl and uploading her pictures without her consent on his Facebook wall. One of the accused faculty members had supported this student. The teacher had even placed a bet with the student on the latter getting intimate with this girl," another student said.
Faculty members apart, one of the major charges involve a male student.
"A girl alleged that a male student had kissed a girl without her consent at a campus party. The contention was that the environment at SRFTI is not conducive to female students and that girls feel threatened there," she added.
When TOI got in touch with Putul Mehmood, a faculty member of SRFTI's dia rection department, she said, "Yes, I am heading the Ina ternal Complaints Committee for Sexual Harassment. But I am bound by a confidentiality clause that doesn't allow me to make any statements about the matter. I am in the process of looh king into the complaints."