University faces flak on removing teacher who Instagrammed swimsuit pics

Kolkata: St Xavier's University in Kolkata faces flak from the general public after it forced an assistant professor to resign from service after she posted her pictures in a swimsuit on Instagram, IANS reported.

After news of her resignation went viral, the University filed a defamation notice against the professor, demanding Rs 99 crore as compensation. It alleged that her action was an 'ill-motivated', 'desperate' and 'dishonest' attempt to open a closed chapter, thus causing immense and irreparable damage to the image of the institute.

St Xavier's University, a Jesuit university established in February 2017, is the post-graduation extension of Kolkata's iconic St Xavier's College, which was founded in 1860.

After the assistant professor was asked to resign, students in the University put up posters on the campus describing the developments as a reflection of the patriarchal mentality of the university authorities.

A teacher from the college, under anonymity, said, "I have been associated with the college for around two decades. The students' union of the college or the University had been traditionally apolitical, and students displaying posters within the campus against the authorities was unheard of in the past."

However, A petition has already been filed on this count, which has been signed by 20,000 individuals, including educationists, psychologists, film and television artists and members of civil society. It has been forwarded to state Education Minister Bratya Basu, seeking his intervention in the matter.

Further, a social media campaign has also started against the University's chancellor, FR Felix Raj, on this count, which has been signed and commented on by thousands of people, including several former and present students of both the college and the University.

However, the University has not made comments on the developments so far.