Guest panellist at college’s Hindi fest accused of sexually harassing students; sources claim the college evicted the perp only after students announced they would boycott the event
The St Xavier’s College campus in Fort, South Mumbai. Pic/mid-day archives
More than 10 students have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against an individual invited to speak at the national seminar of Antas, an annual festival organised by the city’s St Xavier’s College’s Hindi department. The matter came to light when several students comprising the festival workforce announced that they would boycott the event if their grievances were not addressed. The alleged incident took place on November 24.
An apology acknowledging that a guest misbehaved with students was posted on November 25 on the official Antas Instagram account. While alleged victims declined to speak to mid-day, citing trauma and fear of official reprimand, three of their friends shared the details with this newspaper, on the condition of anonymity.
The festival’s National Seminar was held on November 24-25, and the guest was invited as a speaker for a session. He was staying on the college campus in a guest accommodation. After his arrival on the evening of November 23, he allegedly ordered the volunteers of the guest management department to get him paan masala.
Screenshot of the apology post on the official Instagram account of Antas. PIC/INSTAGRAM/@antasfest
The students informed him that the consumption of such substances was not allowed on the college campus, but when he insisted, a male student complied. When the male volunteer went to his room to deliver it, he allegedly found the guest stark naked upon opening the door. The next morning, the guest continued to misbehave, according to students. “The guest was taking a stroll around the campus, and he began surreptitiously taking pictures of female students without their consent. He also took their phone numbers down on a piece of paper,” a student said.
Moreover, it was alleged that he groped a female student. A few students complained to a college priest, who then approached the guest speaker and asked for his phone. The cleric then allegedly found non-consensual pictures of female students on the device and deleted them. The students began reporting his behaviour to the faculty as well as the sexual harassment cell by afternoon on November 24, yet action was not taken immediately due to the principal’s absence from the campus.
The St Xavier’s College campus in Fort, South Mumbai. Pic/mid-day archives
“Eventually, students ceased volunteering for the seminar and announced that they would boycott the festival if no action was taken against this speaker. By 8 pm, students were ordered to escort him off the campus, ensuring that he would not arrive for the seminar the next day,” a source said. According to students, the speaker himself wasn't informed of the offences he had been accused of.
On November 26, after
mid-day sent St Xavier’s College principal Dr Karuna Gokarn an email with detailed questions, she told a correspondent in a separate conversation over the phone, “All the necessary safety measures were taken into account. However, the guest speaker in question was observed misbehaving on campus and was asked to leave the same day. The victims of the incident have been asked to raise a complaint with the college’s Internal Complaints Committee.” However, at the time of going to press, the principal had not responded to queries regarding the email.
Alleged cover-up
According to members of the organising committee, Dr Gokarn later addressed the students and informed them not to mention anything on social media. She also mentioned that the college would not be taking legal action against the speaker, but students were free to do so if they wished. Moreover, the public relations team of the college fest took to Instagram to issue a statement.
The Antas statement said in both English and Hindi: “On 24th November, 2025 during our Hindi Department National Seminar, an invited guest behaved in a manner that was completely unacceptable and deeply disrespectful towards our volunteers and team members, especially our female volunteers.”
It added: “We are actively addressing the matter with the concerned authorities to ensure that such behaviour will not be repeated and appropriate action has been taken against the individual. The authorities ensure the safety of students inside St Xavier’s College campus. We stand by our students always.” Multiple student accounts also state that, despite being aware of the alleged behaviour of the speaker, a faculty member responsible for Antas was seen treating him cordially and respectfully, even lunching with him.
An organising team head, on the condition of anonymity, stated that the principal advised the workforce and the faculty to keep the incident under wraps to safeguard the college’s reputation. “We believe in Atithi devo bhava [Guest is God]. This should be kept within the Xavier’s family,” the principal allegedly stated to students and faculty. The principal did not respond to our emails.
Students claimed that Dr Gokarn said, “Please try to understand that this is my first time as a principal and it is a learning experience for me, too.” This is reportedly among the first cases where both the college’s sexual harassment cell and principal were apprised of an incident. Sources stated that the general mood among students is one of outrage and several have not been coming to college since November 24.
“The barest of bare minimum was done, and it’s still not good enough,” one of them said. A student whose picture was allegedly shot non-consensually said, “I saw him take a selfie with me in the frame and quickly walk away. Later, the priest made him delete it, and I felt relieved because God knows what he intended to do with the photo.”
She also stated that, contrary to a lot of students, she was satisfied with the steps taken by the principal. “She was clearly unhappy with what had happened and was very supportive,” she said. A volunteer said, “We were asked to move away from the college grounds because the speaker was going around touching students.”
The student added. “The college strictly enforces hundreds of rules. However, no strict action was taken against the perpetrator for at least six hours and he was allowed to roam the campus. The principal’s initial response was, ‘Since I was not on campus when this happened, I am not fully accountable for it.’ But what about after that?”
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