St Xavier’s VC says no teacher forced to resign over Instagram photos

An assistant professor at a prestigious institution in Kolkata allegedly had to resign because of a social media image she made while wearing a bikini, which caused a huge uproar. The university’s vice chancellor rejected the assertion, saying it was “humiliating to suggest” the organisation would do so despite hundreds of internet campaigners expressing support.

St. Xavier University is linked to the incident. The former lecturer claimed that after being handed a printout of her Instagram images, she was called by the university’s internal disciplinary committee and asked to resign. In a statement, Father Felix Raj, the vice chancellor, stated in a statement that the institution “believes in preserving and sustaining the dignity and honour of its teachers, staff members, students, and those associated with it.”

In an interview, Father Felix Raj vehemently refuted the accusation, stating that the institute protects the privacy of all of its stakeholders. “Please take special note that no teachers have been forced to quit by St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata.” In a recent remark, he said: “And it is extremely embarrassing to even think that St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata, would require any faculty to leave.”

The statement read, “Needless to mention that you yourself will agree and appreciate that the university always believes in preserving and maintaining the dignity and honour of all its teachers, staff members, students, and others connected with it, past and present.”

The woman had revealed that a few students and parents were following her Instagram posts, the VC added, confirming that a meeting had indeed taken place over some photographs. He went on to say that she apologised in “writing for any public conduct that was accessible to people that might not be appropriate for a teacher the very next day.” He vehemently disputed that any faculty member had ever been asked to resign.

The PhD woman, 31, said that she was compelled to leave by a university internal disciplinary committee made up of female faculty members, the vice chancellor, and the registrar, among others, for sharing “inappropriate” Instagram images. She asserted that the committee had warned her that certain male pupils and their parents would be offended by the images.