A poster declaring 'No space for Islamophobia in JU' appeared at the end of Jadavpur University's 68th annual convocation on Wednesday, highlighting a simmering controversy within the English department. The protest was led by first-year postgraduate students who were receiving their undergraduate degrees, alleging harassment by a professor during recent examinations.
The Allegations of Harassment
The protest stems from an incident on Monday during ongoing exams. According to a letter written by students to Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, a professor allegedly singled out two third-year undergraduate students wearing hijabs and asked them to remove their headscarves on suspicion of cheating.
The letter details that one student was "singled out and accused of cheating because she was wearing a hijab" and was asked to unpin it in the examination room in front of others. When another student pointed out the inappropriateness of this demand, the professor reportedly insisted the hijab be removed in private and took the student to another room.
A second UG3 student, taking an exam in a different room, was also allegedly asked to remove her hijab. "I went to a room where I was asked to remove the hijab. I asked her if she wanted to check if I was carrying headphones. When she said yes, I just removed a portion and made her see that I was not carrying headphones. I felt uncomfortable," the student stated.
The Faculty's Rebuttal and Security Concerns
Professors from the English department have firmly rebutted the charges, calling them disturbing and stating they plan to issue a formal statement against the allegations. They defended their actions by citing genuine security concerns during examinations.
One professor explained that in the past week, at least four students were caught cheating using headphones, and none were from the minority community. On the day in question, research scholars on invigilation duty had caught a student wearing a hoodie with headphones. This alarm led to a decision to re-check students who appeared suspicious.
"It should be made clear there was another student wearing a hijab, but she was not checked. A physically disabled student wearing a hijab was also taking the exam at the library, but she was not checked," the professor added, arguing the checks were not based on religious attire. Another professor expressed distress over the students' actions, fearing that such targeting would make it difficult for teachers to perform their duties, and asserted that none of his colleagues were Islamophobic.
University Leadership and Aftermath
The convocation itself was overseen by Governor C V Ananda Bose, the ex-officio chancellor of state-run universities. More than 4,400 students received degrees and certificates at the event. Notably, Governor Bose had skipped the JU convocations in 2023 and 2024 due to what he termed "unethical actions" by former vice-chancellors.
Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, upon receiving the students' letter, stated, "We are looking into the matter." The incident has sparked a debate on campus about religious sensitivity, examination protocol, and the boundaries of invigilation, leaving the university administration to navigate the conflicting claims.
