Dear Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, WASH is making public the letter that was sent to you on 13th April, 2017. This is because we have not heard back from you regarding the same despite the urgency of the situation. Below is the letter.
Dear Secretary, I&B,
 |
Ajay Mittal, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Source: I&B website |
We are WASH-Women Against Sexual Harassment, an independent organization of students and others fighting against sexual harassment in educational institutions and workplaces. We help victims of abuse in various forms and we are shocked to have heard from a complainant from Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata.
For a place of which films, creativity, art and progressiveness are expected, the complaint we have received is quite disappointing. Ms Debamitra Mitra, the Director of the institute has violated the sexual harassment act and needs to be removed from the post as soon as possible before she harasses more women and their parents. Kindly look at this complaint that was sent us.
The Director of the institute seems to be in close proximity with one of the professors sent under compulsory retirement on charges of sexual harassment. Documents clearly indicate that during the period of inquiry into the professor's acts of sexual harassment, he and the Director were at the same residence/address. The complainant says that all documents corroborating this are available at the institute. This is an obvious conflict of interest which cannot be permitted in the light of the power equation that exists between Debamitra Mitra and the complainant.
The second part of the complaint when viewed in this light is even more alarming. Debamitra Mitra has brutally harassed the complainant's mother who went to submit a letter to Ms Mitra on her daughter's behalf.
Please take a look at the enormous injustice that has been done to the complainant and her mother.
1. Debamitra Mitra refused to talk to the complainant's mother in private saying that her private secretary, a male, 'knows everything'. The mother had to speak in front of this man and she was humiliated in front of him who is a stranger to her.
2. Debamitra Mitra said to the complainant's mother that her daughter (the complainant) was staying with the professor she has accused of rape and that she was lying. When the mother questioned Debamitra Mitra on this utterly insensitive and humiliating comment she said that this was something she had 'heard'. This is, when the girl is fighting a case against the same professor in the Calcutta High Court on the charge of rape.
3. Debamitra Mitra asked the complainant's mother to sign a paper which had some statements written on it.
4. The Director took the mother's phone away from her accusing her of recording the conversation. She did this twice.
5. She mocked the complainant and her mother's South Indian identity by saying that she could take her complaint to the Registrar, Mr BDM Ambedkar, because he is 'from Andhra'.
6. She said to the mother that a section under Indian law was being misused and 'educated' the mother about the same suggesting that her daughter was also doing the same thing.
7. Debamitra Mitra told the mother that her daughter would not be harassed anymore only because she had been asked to vacate the hostel in some days. (The complainant has a letter sent to her by the institute confirming this fact). This, at a time when the complainant's course at the institute is not yet complete.
8. The mother fell ill due to this harassment. The institute doctor had to tend to her. She missed a train she had to catch to Delhi that evening due to this and had to fly, something which she is not capable of affording otherwise.
Debamitra Mitra even wrote to a group of feminists saying that the complainants were nefarious wayward women who were misusing the Sexual Harassment Act.
The first Governing Council [GC] meeting held by Debamitra Mitra dissolved the Internal Complaints Committee for Sexual Harassment [ICC-SH]. When the students agitated and took their grievances to Ms Amala Akkineni, Chairperson in charge, the decision had to be taken back. This seems to have happened only due to Ms Amala's intervention. It is scary that such important decisions which have a direct effect on the complainant's cases are taken without any explanation and behind closed doors.
We, as an organization are scared and worried about the women students of SRFTI reading this complaint from one of your students. We are urging you to take action before Debamitra Mitra repeats her harassment with other victims. This is a matter of integrity of young women filmmakers and moreover, human beings. Please provide a healthy environment for them to pursue their studies with no harassment around.
Both the complainant and her mother said that they had approached you repeatedly with this complaint and there has been no action yet. The complainant is no longer sure that her e-mails are reaching you. For the same reason we have had to forward this letter to the other addresses seen to make sure that from one source or the other you will receive our request. Do provide us with a means of communication where we can reach you in case of future correspondence.
[In case of an inquiry or action, we will be happy to help you providing the necessary documents on behalf of the complainants]
Faithfully,
WASH
Women Against Sexual Harassment
Comments
Post a Comment