Shadows Over Inquivesta: Alleged Assault at IISER Kolkata Fest Triggers Security Outcry

Mohanpur, Feb. 14: An alleged incident of molestation and groping during a campus festival at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata (IISER K) has ignited deep-seated outrage and fear, with first-year students accusing the administration of catastrophic security lapses. The breach occurred during “Inquivesta,” the institute’s premier three-day annual science festival held between February 6 and 8 at the Haringhata campus. The complainant, reportedly traumatized by the experience, has since left the campus after filing a formal complaint with the Internal Complaints Committee.

The event, traditionally a celebration of innovation and creativity, was marred by reports of assault during a DJ night and a performance by singer Monali Thakur, a situation exacerbated by a shift in policy that allowed outsiders to enter through paid day passes. Sources suggest this change was necessitated by a lack of institutional financial support, forcing students to raise funds through public ticket sales.

The fallout from the festival has exposed significant vulnerabilities, as students and faculty members point to the fact that the events were held in an open field at night without CCTV surveillance. Despite the gravity of the allegations, the students expressed frustration over a perceived lack of urgency, alleging that the authorities remained largely inactive even after the incident and the students shared their horrible experiences through internal mails.

There are growing concerns that the reported case is not isolated; internal communications from other first-year female students suggest that multiple individuals faced similar assaults during the three-day period. Crucially, students allege that some of these incidents took place within a segregated area supposedly reserved exclusively for the IISER community, and that efforts to raise these grievances were met with threats of silence from certain senior students.

Rumi De, a professor in the Physics department and chairperson of the Internal Complaints Committee, has confirmed that an investigation is currently underway but declined to provide specific details. Stating that the committee is strictly following ICC guidelines and protocols, she emphasized that the matter is being treated with the utmost seriousness. However, the official response has done little to quell the rising tide of panic and protest on campus. Students are now demanding a comprehensive overhaul of security measures, including an impartial probe into the failures of the festival, stricter enforcement of student-outsider segregation, and the deployment of adequate security personnel and monitoring mechanisms for future events.

The sense of disillusionment is echoed by senior faculty members, one of whom described the revelations from students as deeply disturbing and unprecedented in the history of the premier institution. For the students who came to the campus under the assurance of safety, the reality of the past week has proved otherwise. One first-year student described the cultural festival not as a celebration, but as a traumatic experience that has left her living in fear within the very gates where she was meant to feel most secure.

The incident has left the IISER Kolkata community grappling with a profound sense of betrayal, as they await a transparent resolution and a restoration of the safety protocols that failed them.