At Jadavpur University’s convocation on Wednesday, a poster reading “No space for Islamophobia in JU” was displayed prominently on the convocation dais as a form of protest against alleged Islamophobia on campus, drawing attention to a recent incident involving Muslim women students and raising concerns about discrimination within the university.
The protest was carried out by first-year postgraduate students of the English department, who were attending the convocation to receive their undergraduate degrees.
The demonstration was linked to an incident that allegedly took place earlier this week on Monday during an ongoing examination at the university’s English department.
According to students, a professor named Saswati Haldar allegedly asked two third-year undergraduate students to remove their hijabs after accusing them of cheating during the last hour of the examination.
This action also affected the students’ performance in the exam, as the checking activity reportedly took up the final portion of the time allotted to complete the paper.
Multiple calls made by Maktoob to Professor Haldar to verify the allegations against her went unanswered.
The students subsequently took it upon themselves to write a complaint letter to the Vice-Chancellor of the university.
In a letter submitted to Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, students claimed that one of the students was singled out during the examination and asked to unpin her hijab in front of others.
When another student objected to this, the professor allegedly took the student to another room and asked her to remove it privately.
The letter also alleged that a second third-year undergraduate student was asked to remove her hijab while taking an exam in a different room.
One of the students later said she felt uncomfortable during the incident and removed only a small portion of her hijab to show that she was not carrying any earphones, as the teacher had doubted.
The letter read by Maktoob stated, “This behaviour, in our opinion, amounts to discrimination on religious grounds. It goes against the ethics of tolerance and equality that a university is supposed to uphold. It makes trust in the examination process precarious for students from minority communities. We therefore strongly urge that this issue be carefully examined and investigated.”
The students unanimously demanded, “We also wish that the university take up the matter and undertake necessary steps so that no student is targeted to such harassment and targeted treatment in the future. We wish that invigilation be sensitive and equitable with consideration for varying religious and cultural customs and attire.”
Maktoob tried to approach the students, but they requested that the written complaint be considered as their point of communication with the media.
Speaking to Maktoob, Jahit Khan, a student of International Relations at JU, said, “The students were compelled to take off their hijab in front of everyone in the class, including the male students.”
He said, “When one other student protested against this discriminatory act of the teacher, he was shunned and shut down by her. They were then taken to a private room where their hijabs were taken off, as the female students told us.”
Khan added, “This was not it. When taken inside the rooms, both the girls were subjected to humiliation and religious discrimination. Prof. Haldar repeatedly interrogated them about the reason for observing hijab and whether they wear this in their homes as well.”
“With her prejudiced mindset, the prof. went on to ask them if they felt suffocated in hijab,” Khan further said.
He added, “The students are scared of any further action against them by the professor.”
The Vice-Chancellor acknowledged receiving the complaint and said, “We are looking into the matter.”
Maktoob also tried to reach out to the Vice-Chancellor, seeking clarification on the allegations made by the students and whether any action has been taken on the complaint raised by them.
The call made by Maktoob went unanswered, and a formal email has been sent from our end, awaiting a response. The copy will be updated as and when we receive a comment.
However, faculty members of the English department have strongly denied the allegations.
Professors said the checks were conducted due to a series of recent cheating cases involving the use of headphones during examinations and were not targeted at any particular community.
According to faculty members, several students from different backgrounds were checked, while some students wearing hijabs, including a differently abled student, were not subjected to any verification.
A senior professor stated that teachers were distressed by the protest, saying accusations of Islamophobia against faculty members could make it difficult for them to carry out their academic responsibilities.
Faculty members maintained that none of their colleagues were motivated by religious bias.
The incident unfolded on the same day as Jadavpur University’s 68th annual convocation, which was presided over by West Bengal Governor and Chancellor of state-run universities C V Ananda Bose.
More than 4,400 students were awarded degrees and certificates during the ceremony.
The post “No space for Islamophobia in JU”: Jadavpur University students protest on convocation dais over hijab discrimination appeared first on Maktoob media.
