A recent tweet by journalist Ranjona Banerji that “it’s not freedom if the government tells you how to celebrate it” is quite evocative and at the same time hard hitting. It draws direct parallels to the way the our society is slowly turning into. Wouldn’t it be quite appropriate if we echo a famous Bollywood celebrity who voiced his concerns over the intolerance of his fellow Indians? He did (and is still facing) face a lot of backlash for his comments. However is there any chance of denying his claims? Unfortunately no.
And this gets quite well reflected in one of the latest news trending about a defamation case of 99 crores that has been filed against a former assistant professor at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.
It was her Instagram stories (something that disappears or remains unavailable after 24 hours of posting the same) that brought her into the limelight which soon turned into a quagmire that she would surely take a lot of time and effort to come out from.
The anonymous professor had posted some of her personal photographs on the gram which led to this; one of the student’s father questioned her morality and her sense of responsibility behind this. And as expected the college authorities paid heed to this without even understanding that the said person’s Instagram account is private and not open for public consumption. Now this questions one’s privacy and one’s freedom to lead a life that they would prefer.
Being a female teacher doesn’t necessarily mean that she has to be the flag bearer of morality and accountability all the time; and posting her private moments on her private account is as basic as any other right. But this becomes quite debatable.
The former assistant professor wishes to remain anonymous fearing a threat to her security. She claims that she wasn’t dealt with empathy rather she was given two options-either resign or get terminated. The college authorities did not take the initiative to listen to her side of the story but kept exhibiting signs of protecting some “unknown persons” for some unknown purpose! In a country like ours where entitlement is superior to eligibility this attitude is no longer surprising. But what remains shocking is how someone’s personal life can be made a subject to be discussed in public. The former assistant professor goes on to explain how her online photographs were used as hard copies during their discussions and how she was constantly made to feel that her behavior is detrimental to the well being of her students.
The Vishakha guidelines laid down by the supreme court in the year 1997 were not referred to. The concept of sexual harassment at work was completely twisted to make it look like a heinous offense from her end. And even though her photographs were uploaded before she was recruited went unheeded.
Overall, this incident leaves an uncanny feeling about the status of women in India. The rules that were conceived for their safety and protection is inaccessible most of the time. Where would they go? Who should they approach? These questions will keep haunting us for a long time now and we too would keep fighting for our basic rights just like the former assistant professor and her family back in Kolkata.
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