A college professor's sexist remarks against female students erupted massive protests in Kerala. Scores of girl students under the banner of SFI, ABVP and KSU on Tuesday took out a march in Kozhikode demanding strict action against the accused professor.
Professor Jouhar Munavvir, who teaches at Kozhikode's Farook Training College, had allegedly compared girl students’ chests to sliced watermelons on display. The protests erupted after a video of the speech allegedly made by the professor went viral on social media.
SFI took out ‘watermelon’ march to the main gate of the college. ABVP workers registered their protest by smashing a watermelon in front of the college while KSU activists distributed pieces of watermelons to the people gathered in front of the college.
Some women took to social media and posted their bare breasted pictures as a mode of protest. Actress and a model, Rahna Fathima of Kochi allowed her open breasted pictures to surface on social media.
The derogatory remarks against girl students were reportedly made during a speech Munavvir delivered to a group of families a few weeks ago outside the college
“I am a teacher of a college where 80 per cent of the students are girls of which a majority are Muslims. These girls wear leggings beneath the purdah and they hold the purdah deliberately up to show off the legging,” the professor is heard saying in the video clip.
“Don’t even talk about muftah. They tie it in such a way that their chest is not covered. A woman’s bosom is one of the body parts that attract a man. And so it should be covered,” he further states.
“Instead of properly covering their head with scarf, these days girls wrap a shawl over their head and thereby exhibit some parts of their chest to give an indication like how a slice of a watermelon is put on display to reveal its ripeness. This is un-Islamic,” he said and alleged this type of dressing is immoral.
College principal C A Jawahar said though the students had taken out a march outside the college, no formal complaint has been received in the college against the teacher. The college authorities will decide about taking action only after getting a formal complaint, he said.
