To,

Ms. Debamitra Mitra
Director, Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute

UPDATE: 24 Jan 2020

After gathering 1000 signatures and over 50 emails by Jhatkaa.org members to the director of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) and finally getting the sexual harassment redressal process started for the complainant -- we are closing the campaign. 

The complainant was a final year student with the Kolkata-based film institute who had accused a staff of sexual harassment. The institute reportedly intimidated the complainant to take her case back.  

Honestly, a complete victory in this campaign would have been to have the Internal Committee Complaints (ICC) complete the investigation. However, this campaign journey was full of important milestones. For one, within a day of our members sending emails to the director, she re-opened the case. We even got the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to intervene. 

It was a huge step because it was the result of collective pressure and media outreach. We want to create a bigger impact in our next campaign. It won’t be possible without your support. 

This campaign also helped us develop some useful contacts in the Ministry of Human Resources (MHRD). With multiple calls and follow-up calls to the ministry, we marked our presence in various departments. 

UPDATE: 18 Sept 2019

Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) sexual harassment complainant’s voice has now reached the Secretary of Ministry of Information and Broadcast (I&B). They informed me that they “will keep an eye on the SRFTI case.”

Follow-up calls always work and we will continue doing that because the complainant only has a few days before she leaves the campus. Do pitch in so that we can ensure the verdict is out as soon as possible.

Both these cases have taught us that we need to chase down the ministries in order to get them to take action. 

Emails, letters, phone calls, Twitter storms, social media ads -- we want to continue using these tactics without any budget constraints. 

UPDATE: 17 Sept 2019

Yesterday, I spoke to the sexual harassment complainant at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). 

Revealing some confidential and disturbing details, she mentioned that there’s an academic pressure to make her leave the campus fast.

Earlier, the Internal Complaints Committee body-shamed the complainant, missed the deadline and the case was moved to the Ethics Committee.

Thanks to our collective pressure, Mr. Ashok Kumar R Parmar, Joint Secretary (JS)  (Films), Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is directly reviewing the case. This is the opportune time to tweet at the ministry asking for a swift intervention. 

Mr. Ashok Parmar  also happens to be the head of SRFTI’s Ethics Committee that is currently handling the case and we already have Actor and Activist Amala Akkineni vouching for justice. 

We’ve seen social media pressure draw timely attention to sensitive cases before. Send your tweet now to the Ethics Committee Chairperson. 

We know it takes a lot of patience and courage to sit through a sexual harassment enquiry. Let’s tell the complainant that she isn’t alone.

You can select your tweets here: 

Dear Mr Ashok Parmar, Jt Secy, Films, @MIB_India - SRTFI’s sexual harassment case needs your urgent attention (Case no. 425654) - the complainant is “under pressure to leave the campus fast” and deserves justice before she finishes her course. @jhatkaadotorg

Dear Mr Ashok Parmar, Jt Secy, Films, @MIB_India - The sexual harassment complainant at SRFTI has been body-shamed and intimidated. Her case is now under your purview. Pls expedite the enquiry before she graduates. (Case no. 425654). @jhatkaadotorg

Dear Mr Ashok Parmar, Jt Secy, Films, @MIB_India - The 2018 sexual harassment complainant is about to finish her course at SRFTI - please prioritise her case so that she gets justice before she leaves the campus. (Case no. 425654) @jhatkaadotorg

UPDATE: 05 Sept 2019

We called the Information and Broadcast (I&B) Ministry.

Here’s what we got to know -- the sexual harassment case from Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) is under review at the Ministry. 

The identity of the complainant was revealed and verbal intimidation was thrown at her after she reported the incident at SRFTI. 

If more of us call Navleen Kumar, from I&B who is handling SRFTI cases, then we can get the verdict out sooner.  

Remember that the complainant is in her final year and it’s imperative that she gets justice before she leaves campus. Call him today: 011-23385911

Here’s a script you can refer to:

Hi, can I speak with Mr Navleen Kumar?

I want to know what is happening with the sexual harassment case number 425654 at SRFTI. 

Navleen Kumar: The case is still under review

You: When is the verdict expected?

Navleen Kumar: Should be soon

You: The complainant is about to finish college -- we want the verdict to be out soon. 

UPDATE: 21 August 2019

Today, I want to take a moment and applaud your efforts to support the complainant at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). From being body-shamed to getting support from National Commission for Women (NCW) - the complainant thanks you for being a part of her incredible journey. 

We also have  big news - Actor and activist Amala Akkineni wrote to us. She is associated with Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). Her kind intervention gave us the push we needed to continue asking the right questions to the SRFTI Director Debamitra Mitra and other Governing Council members. 

This campaign started in  February 2019 when a student pulled in the ICC to take a look into a sexual harassment case. The inquiry - which was supposed to bring the case to justice - led to the complainant’s body-shaming and missed deadlines. 

Members like you flooded the director’s inbox  asking for a timely report and it worked! 

Dissatisfied with the report but loaded with support, the complainant moved to SRFTI’s Governing Council. We need to sustain the follow up calls and mailers to the council to make this case their priority - pitch in here so that we can call them relectlessly.

Amala in her email to us mentioned that she has requested for an ethics committee enquiry on the case. Student Body President Mahesh Krishna assured that Governing Council member Amala is keen on delivering justice to the complainant. 

We have made this far - we need to make our presence feel till the verdict is out. 

Mahesh also mentioned that external pressure will help them take a decision soon. This is the right time for us to keep up the pressure - your support will keep us going.

Our campaign is not limited to getting the complainant justice. We want concerned authorities to know that body-shaming, intimidating the victim and  insenstive  attitudes towards sexual harassment survivors will not be tolerated. 

We are moving towards a gender-equal and safer environment with our daily efforts. Make your contribution today.

UPDATE: 20 July 2019

I must tell you about the exciting conversation I had with the complainant at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). 

She told me that she got a helpful and productive call from Ananya Singh, Counselor at the National Commission for Women (NCW). Ms. Singh told her about her options to counter the sham Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) report -- the complainant has chosen to seek support from the student body at the college. 

The student body, in solidarity with the complainant, has now sent a letter to the Governing Council at SRFTI explaining how the “ICC report is a mockery of justice.”

As we recall, the management at SRFTI has broken the code of conduct in handling the case several times -- from revealing the name of the complainant to body-shaming her, from missing the ICC deadline to ignoring the pleas of the complainant.

The only tactic that worked for them to take sexual harassment case seriously was public pressure. We want to continue building that pressure with member calls and social media pushes. Pitch in today to build a safer college environment.

UPDATE: 05 July 2019

Ananya Singh, Counselor at the National Commission for Women (NCW) called me last Friday.  

She was checking up on the mishandled sexual harassment case at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). 

I informed her that the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) report is out and not in favour of the complainant. 

This is the best part! She said, “We will call the complainant and give her options on how she can challenge the verdict if she wishes to.” 

Apart from SRFTI’s student body, the complainant now has support from NCW. This is a significant milestone -- but not the end. We need your help to sustain pressure on the director.

UPDATE: 04 June 2019

Guess what happened at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) --  within two days of Jhatkaa.org members  bombarding emails to SRFTI, they released an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) report on the sexual harassment case. 

SRFTI had been sitting on a case for six months after the complainant accused a staff of harassing her on campus. Not only did the committee missed the deadline but also body-shamed the complainant during the proceedings. Now, the report is finally out!

However, the ICC report is not what we had expected after six months of difficult wait. It reads: “The ICC recommends that the accused needs to be inquired into”

Wasn’t that supposed to be done already as part of ICC proceedings? Tell SRFTI director that we will not take this "for-the-sake-of-it ICC report.

UPDATE: 29 May 2019

160 emails!

That’s how many emails Jhatkaa.org members have sent to Ms. Debamitra Mitra, Director of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) asking about the missing Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) report.  

The complainant is overwhelmed with the support she has received. As next steps, we are putting together a formal complaint addressed to the National Commission for Women (NCW). For this, we need your help -- help us build more pressure by sending an email to the Director.

We must rally our support for the complainant who continues to be harassed by the ICC. The POSH Act mandates that the ICC must keep the complainant informed at all times. However, SRFTI’s ICC is refusing to cooperate with the complainant -- they have not answered any of her emails or phone-calls. 

UPDATE: 24 April 2019

I spoke with the sexual harassment survivor at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) just this morning. 

“I'm continuously sending out reminders to the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) about updates on my case. The three-month window to submit the investigation report passed long ago. I registered the complaint in the first week of December 2018,” she informed.  

SRFTI has already flouted the ICC proceedings by revealing the name of the complainant and now they have missed the deadline to release their report. Ask them to handover the report ASAP.

Every day that the ICC delays with their report, is one more day that the accused roams around on the campus. Let’s not allow SRFTI to get more lethargic while dealing with sensitive cases. 

UPDATE: 26 March 2019

Just when I thought the sexual harassment case at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) couldn’t get any worse -- I received a letter from the complainant.  

She was asked the following questions on record by members of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC): 

1. What was she wearing when the incident happened?

2. If someone grabs her from behind, she should have fallen. Why didn't she fall?

3. She was even body-shamed by the Presenting Officer of the ICC. He stated that he didn't expect her to be so young as he found that she had grey hair. 

This is outright victim-shaming. How can the complainant expect a fair investigation when she is harassed even by members of the ICC? Tell SRFTI director Dr Debamitra Mitra that this horrific conduct will not be tolerated.

First, the complainant’s identity was revealed by the Director. Then, no action was taken against the accused, even though there is an investigation against him. And now, this kind of victim-shaming.

UPDATE: 12 Feb 2019

A sexual harassment complainant’s identity was revealed by Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) Director Ms. Debamitra Mitra.

This is a massive breach of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act (PoSHA). Students at the institute are determined to get justice, and have taken to social media to rally public support.

If we do not support the students now, the authorities will continue flouting the law with impunity. SRFTI administration must know we are watching -- and feel the pressure to start an ICC investigation and suspend the accused professor until formal recommendations are made.

Last year, a non-teaching staff member harassed the complainant twice. After gathering courage, the complaint sent a formal complaint to the director through the student body in December 2018.  

Instead of assuring confidentiality and following due process, the complainant was “requested” to “forgive” the accused.

“I am selfish about my department. If we shift (the accused), who knows everything about our department, any other staff who comes in will be lazy.”

-- said a male professor who was asked to handle the case.

The complainant then turned to the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) for justice. The inquiry didn’t last long -- after the ICC’s reconstitution, there has been no movement on the case. “They never took any punitive action against the harasser,” confirmed the complainant. The accused non-teaching staff continues to be present on campus.  

This insincere and casual approach towards sexual harassment is exactly the kind of obstacle we want to do away with. Ask SRFTI Director Ms. Debamitra Mitra to formally suspend the accused until the ICC comes up with its recommendations.

This incident reveals just how complicated it is for complainants to get institutions to follow due process when it comes to tackling sexual harassment. Even if an ICC is in place, there are multiple roadblocks complainants face in getting their grievance to the ICC, having their case investigated, and finally, action be taken.

The #MeToo era has made it clear that until and unless we apply public pressure, sexual harassment cases are not taken seriously. Our recent milestone with Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad shows us the power of standing with the complainants.

If enough of us sign this petition, we will be able to pressure SRFTI administration to clean up their ICC procedures.

Sources:

‘I Feel Hopeless,’ Says SRFTI Student Alleging Sexual Harassment - The Quint

‘SRFTI, I Won’t Let Go,’ Says Student Alleging Sexual Harassment - The Quint

A case of sexual harassment in Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) -- WASH FB page