False Accusations Against Ekalavya Chaudhuri of Jadavpur University Kolkata Show An Increasingly Dark Culture of Defamation, Cyber Bullying and Harassment
Even after a procedure lasting for a year, not a shred of any evidence was found. This was stated as such by the relevant authorities. Yet, already, while the procedure of the inquiry had been ongoing, attempts were made to penalize the individual against whom allegations had been leveled. There were pre-existing questions about this. But then, even despite the person not being found guilty of any wrongdoing by the concerned relevant investigating body, the authority of the university attempted to foist further undeserved penalization!
Fortunately, it was the rule of law that ended all this. The judgment and ensuing orders of the Calcutta High Court finally gave relief to a student of Jadavpur University, Kolkata, in West Bengal.
The university authorities, who had been withholding the student’s marksheets due to protests by a faction of agitating political students, were made to hand it over to him by the aforementioned court order. The results disclosed that he had come first in his class in the department of English in the final undergraduate examinations, which he had sat for facing intimidatory bullying from a political group of some of his peers.
Allegations of harassment had been raised against Ekalavya Chaudhuri, an undergraduate student of English at Jadavpur University, on the 23rd of July, 2016, via the social media platform of Facebook by a faction of students. Insisting that he be penalized, this faction had then heated up the institute campus. Students from two political groups had surrounded him and tried to intimidate him with slogans when he had been trying to attend his classes in attempts at scare tactics.
Following the demands of these students, the matter had been referred by the University to its Internal Complaints Committee.
On 30 June 2017, the Internal Complaints Committee of Jadavpur University handed over the report on the investigation conducted by them to the authority.
At that point, everything unraveled.
The report stated that it was difficult to ascertain any actuality to or any actual nature of the ‘reported incidents’, that one of the accusing individuals did not even appear before the Committee for deposition to detail her claims and, moreover, when contacted over phone, refused outright to give any deposition and stated she was not willing to pursue the claim. One of the other accusing individuals meanwhile admitted in her deposition, upon questioning, that she had complained in order to “help” the causes of another politically oriented person who was a “friend”.
Evidence was also given by Ekalavya Chaudhuri at the investigative committee constituted by Jadavpur University, it is learnt, to the effect that the principal instigator in the affair had been in communication with him quite after the timeline of dates involved in the allegations levelled.
At Jadavpur University, in response to questions, people in the know opined that the allegations, which were levelled in 2016, were a targeted conspiracy and smear campaign stemming from the academic jealousy of a group of students, aided and abetted by the political student unions on the campus and their various factions, looking for an issue to heat up ahead of the Jadavpur University elections.
Unfortunately, even in the light of the fact that the committee organized by the university as the relevant body to look into the matter did not find Ekalavya Chaudhuri guilty, the marksheets of Ekalavya Chaudhuri were still withheld by the Jadavpur University administration due to agitations by the two groups of political factions of students. Ekalavya then had to file a case in the Calcutta High Court in order to seek these out.
The judge presiding on this case, while ordering in the favor of Ekalavya, commented in his judgment that the situation would be an ‘unjust and unfair’ one if permitted to be carried on any further, and if the judiciary did not interfere at this juncture.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Incidents like this one, that took place in 2017 at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, should not be seen as being limited to just that institute. Rather, this incident should give us sobering pause to reflect on the truly dangerous turns sometimes taking place in society today, where false accusations, online smear campaigns, the harassment of intimidatory cyber bullying, and ‘cancel culture’, can come together to target and defame someone maliciously and deliberately while the vested interests of those bringing the allegations are served.
It should also give us pause to reflect, and to question if we are on a potential slippery slope here, and if so, where we could be finally headed if, as a society, we continue with this heedless mass mentality.
