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Home > News > India News > Article > Professor draws flak for comparing virgin girl to sealed bottle

Professor draws flak for comparing virgin girl to sealed bottle

Updated on: 15 January,2019 12:20 PM IST  | 
mid-day online desk |

The National Commission for Women has asked the West Bengal DGP to probe and take appropriate action in the alleged case.

Professor draws flak for comparing virgin girl to sealed bottle

Representational picture

A Jadavpur University professor drew flak for a series of Facebook posts where he compared a virgin girl to a sealed "bottle of cold drink or a packet of biscuits" and commented that to men a "virgin wife is like an angel".


Kanak Sarkar, a professor of International Relations, also stressed on celibacy and virginity as part of ethics and morality.


His social media posts drew howls of protests from netizens and the academic community, while the university promised to take action.


"I was not there. I have returned last night. We will take all steps as per law," Jadavpur University vice-chancellor Suranjan Das told IANS on Monday.

Sarkar in his controversial posts wondered whether somebody would be "willing to buy a broken seal while purchasing a bottle of cold drink or a packet of biscuits?"

"A girl is born sealed from birth until it is opened... A virgin girl means many things accompanied with values, culture, and sexual hygiene," he said in his post," adding "to most boys, a virgin wife is like an angel."

 Photo: Facebook

The posts became viral, with scores of social media users trolling him, while women's rights activists expressed their indignation.

Under pressure, Sarkar deleted some of the posts but came up with an explanation on Facebook arguing it was his personal post and citing freedom of expression.

"Supreme Court has repealed section 66 A of IT Act and given freedom of expression in Social Media. When Taslima Nasrin wrote against a particular religion we supported her Freedom of Expression... I have not written anything against any person, individual or anybody without any evidence or proof or any reference," he said.

After the incident, the National Commission for Women has asked the West Bengal DGP to probe and take appropriate action in the alleged case of a Jadavpur University professor giving "misogynistic" lessons to his students.

According to media reports, the professor had written a piece on "Virgin Brides" for "value-oriented social counselling for educated youth."  In the essay, the professor rhetorically asked whether his readers "would be willing to buy a cold drink or a packet of biscuits, if its seal was broken?"

The NCW took suo-moto cognisance of the professor's "shocking misogynistic" lessons and asked the West Bengal DGP to probe the matter and take appropriate action in the case and apprise the commission of it.

With input from agencies

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