Viral wedding in class: West Bengal professor faces inquiry after performing Hindu rituals

The videos were taken for in-house documentation and were "leaked" to show the Psychology Department in a poor light, she claimed. The professor was, however, asked to go on leave till called back Viral videos of a senior female professor getting "married" to a student in the classroom at a state-run university in West Bengal triggered a furore, following which an inquiry was ordered on Wednesday, officials said. The professor, however, claimed that it was a drama that was part of her class.The incident happened at the Psychology Department of the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT) at Haringhata in Nadia district, they said.

बंगाल के नदिया जिले में स्थित मौलाना अबुल कलाम आजाद प्रौद्योगिकी विश्वविद्यालय की प्रोफेसर ने फर्स्ट ईयर के छात्र से क्लासरूम में ही शादी रचा ली। वीडियो वायरल हुआ, तो यूनिवर्सिटी प्रशासन ने प्रोफेसर को छुट्टी पर भेज दिया। pic.twitter.com/aUTybYxJ0t

— Swaraj Srivastava (@SwarajAjad) January 29, 2025

The videos showed the professor, who was dressed like a bride, and a first-year student performing various rituals of a Hindu Bengali wedding, including 'sindoor daan' and 'mala bodol', in the classroom. The professor told the varsity authorities that it was a psycho-drama demonstration, which was part of her class, and not real, they said. The videos were taken for in-house documentation and were "leaked" to show the Psychology Department in a poor light, she claimed.

The professor was, however, asked to go on leave till the inquiry is concluded, officials said. The inquiry is being conducted by a committee, comprising three female faculty members of other departments, they said. MAKAUT's officiating vice-chancellor Tapas Chakraborty said, "The professor has explained that it was part of a demonstration on her subject. The videos were not for external circulation."
 
"She emphasised that there was no impropriety, no immoral conduct and it was purely an academic project. But, in the wake of the controversy and the videos going viral on social media, we have asked her to proceed on leave for the time being, till the committee submits its findings," he said. The student has also been asked not to join classes till the probe is concluded, he added. The professor could not be reached for comment. 

(Except for the headline, nothing has been changed by All India News Network in the PTI copy.)