Jadavpur University students stage protest at convocation alleging hijab discrimination
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A group of students at Jadavpur University staged a protest on the dais during the institution's 68th annual convocation on Wednesday, raising concerns over alleged Islamophobia on campus.
The first-year postgraduate students from the English department displayed a poster reading "No space for Islamophobia in JU" while receiving their undergraduate degrees. The demonstration was organised to highlight an incident earlier in the week where Muslim students were allegedly discriminated against during an examination.
The controversy stems from an incident that reportedly occurred on Monday during an exam conducted by the English department. Students have alleged that a faculty member, Professor Saswati Haldar, accused two third-year undergraduate students of cheating and instructed them to remove their hijabs during the final hour of the paper.
According to the students, the professor suspected the examinees of concealing earphones under their headscarves. The students claimed that the time consumed by this verification process negatively affected their performance in the examination.
In a formal complaint submitted to Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, the students alleged that one of the examinees was asked to unpin her hijab in the presence of other students, including males. When objections were raised, the student was reportedly taken to a private room for the check.
Jahit Khan, a student of International Relations, stated that the students were subjected to humiliation and religious discrimination, alleging that the professor interrogated them about their reasons for wearing the hijab and asked if they felt "suffocated" by the attire.
Faculty members of the English department have strongly denied the allegations of religious bias. They clarified that the checks were conducted due to a recent series of cheating incidents involving the use of headphones and were not targeted at any specific community. Professors maintained that students from various backgrounds were checked, while some other students wearing hijabs, including a differently-abled student, were not subjected to verification.
A senior professor expressed distress over the protest, stating that accusations of Islamophobia could make it difficult for faculty to perform their academic duties effectively. The Vice-Chancellor has acknowledged the complaint and confirmed that the matter is being looked into.