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Several videos purportedly showing a professor getting married to a college student inside the classroom in West Bengal have gone viral, complete with wedding rituals like 'haldi' and the exchange of garlands, putting the university officials on alert.
An official said the purported incident occurred at the Psychology Department of the Haringhata Technology College in Nadia, about 150 km from Kolkata. The college functions under the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT).
The professor, identified as Payal Banerjee, is seen in the videos wearing a bridal outfit and garlands. She, however, denied that it was a real wedding and said the act was part of an academic exercise meant for internal use.
She has been sent on leave pending a probe, for which the authorities have formed a three-member panel. We cannot take any stern action without proper investigation, the official said.
Among the videos circulating on social media, one showed 'haldi' being smeared on the student - as per the Hindu wedding rituals, and in another, the two are seen exchanging garlands and taking seven steps around a candle denoting the sacred fire.
The student is also seen putting sindoor on her hair partings and offering her a rose.
A university letterhead with the signatures of the professor and the student, accepting each other as their spouse, has also gone viral. It also carries the signatures of three witnesses from each side.
Ms Banerjee, who has been teaching psychology for years, claimed that the act was part of a "psychological drama" that she used to explain concepts in her class. The video was leaked to malign her, she alleged.
The student was not reachable for comment.