Regarding Inaction of MP, Union Minister of State and SRFTI Chairperson Mr. Suresh Gopi in the sexual harassment case at SRFTI (Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute)

SRFTI. Photo courtesy: SRFTI website

 

A complainant who is an alumnus of and former assistant professor at SRFTI, has reached out to us regarding a sexual harassment and severe misconduct complaint she filed with the ICC (Internal Complaints Committee) of SRFTI on 9th May 2024. The complaint was against a top official in the institute and the accusations included physical assault, sexual harassment, casteist remarks, criminal intimidation, blackmailing, threats, and use of abusive language and vulgar remarks.

Apart from the ICC complaint, the complainant had also filed a police complaint for assault against this man [A copy of the FIR in the physical assault case is with WASH] who STILL holds his position of power in the said institute which has a long history of sexual harassment complaints.

The ICC submitted its Preliminary Investigation Report in the case on 30th October 2024. This report was placed before the Governing Council [GC] led by the chairperson of the institute and GC, actor and Bharatiya Janata Party Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi, before the second stage of the inquiry could begin. The chairperson refused to comply with the recommendations in the ICC report fully even after two and a half months.
 

In the two and a half months that the GC Chairperson refused to take action, the accused approached the High Court to contest the preliminary investigation report of the ICC. The court DECLINED to interfere with the investigation. However, the court said that SRFTI should not take any coercive measures against the accused based on the preliminary report. According to a report in the Newsminute, during its preliminary enquiry, the ICC had recommended that the accused official should not be present in the campus during the investigation after which the institute had ordered his transfer. However, he challenged the transfer order at the High Court and got it quashed. He has since been working away from the campus. Every lawyer that the complainant approached to contest these verdicts refused to take up her case after learning the identity of the accused. This shows how much power and influence the accused wields. Even though his name is in public records [Court judgements are public records and are available online on platforms like Indian Kanoon.], he sends defamation notices to all news outlets that quote the court orders and take his name. At least two news outlets have taken down articles or removed his name from their reports that were published online. This when there is no illegality in taking the name of a person against whom an FIR has been lodged. When news outlets with their team of lawyers aren't willing to take up a legal battle with this person, what chance does the complainant who is struggling to find a lawyer stand?

The court had also directed the second stage of the inquiry to be completed within six months. For this, the chargesheet submitted by the SRFTI disciplinary authority has to be signed and issued by the GC Chairperson. He has not signed and issued it till date. Why such delay and inaction in issuing the chargesheet even after months of submission of the ICC report which is a mandatory step according to both POSH act and government guidelines for sexual harassment cases to proceed with the completion of the inquiry? The complainant fears that the "delay in the issuing of the chargesheet is an attempt to dilute the charges especially considering the fact that the accused had earlier done it in the police case" she filed. [The complainant had filed a writ petition in the High Court regarding the lapses in the police case including the police officials sharing her medical report with the accused before sharing it with her even after her repeated requests for the same. The petition is pending in court.] When the complainant tried to contact the GC Chairperson, his PS, after taking down her details and realising that she is the complainant in the SRFTI sexual harassment case, refused to respond or allow to contact the minister. Despite writing many mails to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and even to the minister Ashwini Vaishnaw himself regarding these concerns, no action has been taken in the matter.
 

It took immense courage from the complainant to come forward with her complaint when before filing it, the accused had told her 'you can't touch me in SRFTI' alluding to his connections in high places. [WASH has digital evidence of the same.] She placed her trust in the rule of law. We request activists and lawyers pan India to take up the matter and ensure that the ICC inquiry is conducted in a timely manner. The complainant says, "All I want is a shot at justice which the constitution of my country guarantees its citizens. All I did was exercise my RIGHT to speak against injustice done to me but the very forces who are bound by the law to ensure that this right of mine is protected, are actively trying to deprive me of it. This is unacceptable and send[s] the wrong message to any woman who is facing discrimination or harassment at their workplace."

We agree with every word in there. 

SRFTI and Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace

In 2016, two professors were sent under compulsory retirement following an ICC inquiry and report on sexual harassment complaints filed against them by multiple students. SRFTI Students' Union [SU] President told WASH that there have been at least EIGHT complaints of sexual harassment registered with the ICC in just the past one year and that the students had had to protest to include student members in the ICC in compliance with the UGC guidelines of the POSH Act. "While trying to implement a policy that female students should be allowed to decline working with students accused of harassing them, Academic Council members told the student representatives that the female students WOULD have to work with the accused person even if the ICC found them guilty since that was how the film industry outside functioned," the SU President said.

 

FTII, (Film and Television Institute of India) Pune, and SRFTI, Calcutta are the two premier publicly funded national film institutes in India. It is often the trend to ask the question 'why are there so few women filmmakers in the film industry?' Film schools are places where young filmmakers are moulded, their horizons expand. How can female students be expected to do that when they have to battle gender discrimination and sexual assault, caste based violence and other injustices so often? How can faculty mould and guide them when they have to fight protracted battles for justice?