13 Jadavpur University students allege molestation by professor's son

The authorities of Jadavpur University in Kolkata have received a written complaint of sexual harassment by 13 female students who alleged that they were molested by a fellow student, the son of a professor at the same university.

The joint statement was made by the women a year after a single woman had complained of sexual harassment by her fellow student, Ekalavya Chaudhuri, the son of Chandrayee Niyogi, a professor at JU's department of English.

On 23 July this year, the original complainant wrote a Facebook post about her experiences at the hands of Chaudhuri, following which 12 more women came forward with similar complaints, says The Indian Express.

The complaint filed by the 13 women said: "We are a group of (up till now 13) women and girls who have been harassed, both online and in person, by Ekalavya Chaudhuri, son of Chandrayee Niyogi, (Professor, Department of English) who is also a student of Jadavpur University, Department of English...We have been touched without our consent. We have been objectified filthily. We have been made to feel like pieces of meat by a man who is utterly despicable. He believes that his actions will not yield any consequences."

The complaint added that Ekalavya Chaudhuri was "aided and abetted" by his friend Janhabi Mukherjee, a student at Presidency College, who had "harassed and intimidated" them in "virtual spaces and in person".

The complaint said: "Jointly, they have both used their privilege to try and keep us silent. Jointly, they have violated our bodies and our minds. Jointly, they have attempted to erase our own agency over our lives. Not anymore. Today, we speak out as survivors of these vile, poisonous human beings. Today, we take a stand against crimes against women, patriarchy, elitism, entitlement, privilege, and bullying. We take this stand to retake our agency, to re-establish the narratives that were taken from us...We hope that our stand will encourage others to come forward with their own experiences which they have kept silent about for whatever reasons. It's time we all spoke up, it's time we ripped all their masks off. Thank you for your support."

Jadavpur University officials said that when they received the original complaint last year, they had held a meeting that recommended counselling for Chaudhuri.

Now, a general body meeting has been called to pass a resolution so that the university's sexual harassment cell can begin formal proceedings against Chaudhuri.