By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: A group of research scholars of Kolkata-based reputed The Centre for Studies in Social Sciences protested on Thursday afternoon following allegations from a staff of public humiliation by the Registrar of the institution.
The incident allegedly occurred on July 14th in an event organised to officially bid farewell to a faculty member Professor Sugata Marjit, who has been appointed as the temporary Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University, when Registrar of the Centre Dr Debarshi Sen got furious on a temporary worker Muhammad Kalam, apparently because he could not arrange chairs properly.
Kalam has alleged that he was abused publicly by the Registrar who called names pointing to his religious identity. He has also alleged that next day he was called and forced to do sit-ups holding his ears.
The Centre for Studies in Social Sciences (CSSS) in Kolkata, established in February 1973, is a premier social science research institute in India under the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR).
Kalam is from the Sunderban area of South 24 Parganas, under the Kultali polices station of West Bengal and comes from an backward caste. His work at the Centre includes feeding the dogs generally.
The incident has now come to light after a mail circulated internally among the research scholars planning to agitate against the purported humiliation got leaked in the media. What has irked the students is that the staff was a lower-grade employee and hence the Registrar could take the liberty of abusing him.
In the mail, a copy of which is available with TwoCircles.net, research scholars write, “Since we all are or at least claim to be politically aware students who have repeatedly witnessed this form of authoritarian behaviour in and outside the university, it is perhaps high time that we stop making this unconscious distinction between students (i.e. us) and contract workers (i.e. them). It is high time that we start recognizing this worker (and all workers in the Centre) as one among us, and not a part of the scenery. If this kind of a repressive measure is atrocious for a student, it must be regarded as equally atrocious for anyone in his or her place.”
The mail further adds, “We must remember that getting justice for this employee, who is already doubly marginalized, is going to be an uphill task. The administration as usual is in denial mode; for them, in effect, nothing has happened. Let us, for once, demonstrate our solidarity against this intolerable act and demand that the Centre takes short- as well as long-term measures in response to this injustice and make the lives of our working-class colleagues somewhat more bearable.”
Source at the CSSS informed that on Thursday a delegation of the research scholars met with Professor Tapati Guha Thakurta, the Director of CSSS and submitted a memorandum, registering a strong to protest against the Registrar.
According to a student, the Director appealed to the research scholars’ delegation to not drag the matter into public keeping in mind the prestige of the institution; adding that it was an unfortunate incident that must be resolved internally.
After the incident came to light, Registrar Debarshi Sen told journalists that it is an “internal matter” and CSSS does not need to issue any statement. He, however, did not out rightly deny the incident.
When TCN contacted Muhammad Kalam, he too maintained silence, saying in a soft voice, “I have nothing to say.”
After getting the news Chairman of the State Minority Commission Intaj Ali Shah told TwoCircles.net that the Commission will send summon to the CSSS to know the facts of the case. He said that as the media reports suggest, there has been violation of the basic human rights, adding that such incidents should not occur.