Feminists in Resistance (FIR), a feminist group based in Kolkata, has written an OPEN LETTER to the Director of ICAI, strongly condemning the extremely painful, shamefully misogynistic, terrifying, discriminatory and regressive attitude of ICAI towards its female students, members, fellows, colleagues and staff, and has demanded a public apology and an assurance that such an incident will not occur in future, under any circumstance whatsoever.
Groundxero | July 24, 2024
A shocking and disturbing incident happened on the first day of International Conference for CA Students held during 22nd and 23rd June of this year in Kolkata. At the inaugural event, all women present at the conference, were asked to vacate the first five rows of the hall at the demand of the Chief Guest Swami Gyanvatsalya from BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir. The Swami threatened to leave if his demand was not met.
Viral video of the incident showed women in auditorium being asked to vacate front rows to oblige chief guest Swami Gyanvatsal. An ICAI member was seen announcing from the dais: “No ladies, no girls, no girl volunteers in sight, folks! Hustle up, he is on his way.”
women were asked to vacate from the first five rows of the auditorium coz some swami from baps swaminarayan mandir was entering the hall.
this happened at Kolkata – conference of CA students (ICAI)
disgusting 🤢 pic.twitter.com/pBuFXShHtd
— JΛYΣƧΉ (@baldwhiner) June 25, 2024
What is more disturbing is the fact that while the ICAI Council and Committee Members present complied to the outrageous demand of the Swami, the women participants in the hall, without any protest, complied with the announcement, and the function began. None of the women reportedly objected to the insulting diktat. The silent acquiescence of women participants show their own complicity to the shamefully misogynistic, discriminatory and humiliating treatment meted out them. Interestingly, during his address, Swami Gyanvatsalya spoke about making India ‘Vikasit’ and a ‘Vishwaguru’ by 2047.
It was only after public outrage following the video of the incident becoming viral on social media that Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal, who is ICAI president and was also present at the event, said: “We are concerned why such a thing happened and have seen the viral video as well. We have set up an internal enquiry and the board of studies is looking into the matter because we do not support such an announcement at our event. Rest assured, proper action will be taken.”
Even after one month of the incident, nothing is known about the outcome of the internal enquiry and action taken by the ICAI. Feminists in Resistance (FIR), a feminist group based in Kolkata, has written an OPEN LETTER to the Director of ICAI, strongly condemning the extremely painful, shamefully misogynistic, terrifying, discriminatory and regressive attitude of ICAI towards its female students, members, fellows, colleagues and staff, and has demanded a public apology and an assurance that such an incident will not occur in future, under any circumstance whatsoever.
The OPEN LETTER has been republished here:
FEMINISTS IN RESISTANCE (FIR)
A-13/2 Purbasha Housing Estate, 160 Maniktala Main Road, Kolkata 700053
Phone: 9433731206, 9830555416
(OPEN LETTER TO THE DIRECTOR, ICAI)
July 23, 2024
Mr Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal
President
Institute of Chartered Accounts of India
ICAI Bhawan, New Delhi 700 002
Subject: Feminists in Resistance (FIR) condemns the shamefully misogynistic, terrifying, discriminatory, regressive attitude of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India to its fellow female students, members, fellows, colleagues and staff
Sir,
Feminists in Resistance (FIR), a feminist group based in Kolkata, in unequivocal terms strongly condemns the extremely painful, shamefully misogynistic, terrifying, discriminatory and regressive attitude towards its female students, members, fellows, colleagues and staff.
FIR draws your attention towards the shameful incident that happened in your presence, on the first day of International Conference for CA Students held during 22nd and 23rd June of this year in Kolkata with over 3,600 participants. At the inaugural event, all women present in the hall, were asked to vacate the first five rows of the hall at the demand of the Chief Guest Swami Gyanvatsalya from BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir. As is reported, the Swami threatened to leave if his demand is not met.
By denying the presence and visibility of women in the hall in the presence of the Swami, the ICAI has violated their Right to Equality, which is a fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution of India. Provisions related to this right contained in Articles 14 to 18 forms the basis of justice and equality in society. These provisions give them the right of equal treatment, and of not being discriminated on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.
Meeting such a highly discriminatory, regressive, and misogynistic, demand by a 75-year-old statutory body like ICAI, that boasts of having 43% female CA members amongst a total of nearly 4,00,000 CA members is, if not an insult to all, definitely an insult to its 43% female community. The frantic announcement on the mike for all the female event organizers, volunteers, and attendees, to disappear from the sight of Swami by vacating the prominent front rows shows the real face of ICAI that claims to work for equality and respect.
It is not the first time the Swami has made such demands. In 2020, he left an event without delivering his speech after seeing women in the front row. The incident was handled with greater dignity, and the pride of women was not compromised. In contrast, the acquiescence to his unreasonable demand by ICAI is highly condemnable.
Known in the public domain as a life coach and eminent motivational speaker, Swami Gyanvatsalya apparently gives inspiring talks on personal development, spirituality, and social issues. His views and aspirations for social reform seem to rest on making women invisible, and an outright denial of women’s contribution to the social and economic life and activity of the society we live in. It is, therefore, alarming that the ICAI made such a man the Chief Guest of the ceremony without any background check or for that matter, that the ICAI has no views of its own.
At the ceremony the Swami spoke about making India ‘Viksit’ and ‘Viswaguru’ by 2024. And you, Mr President, yourself highlighted the increasing number of Women Chartered Accountants in India, despite proudly claiming that one in every three members of ICAI is female; ironically it was the same women that you removed from the front rows of the session from the big all-male stage.
In abiding by the Swami’s demand, the ICAI too is complicit in encouraging discriminatory practices and pushing back women whose entry into the public domain, and especially in male-dominated professions, is beginning to scale new heights in recent years, be it engineering, chartered accountancy, civil services or the navy or air force. It is also to be noted that such an event is happening in a professional arena that is seeing, and takes pride in, the steady increase in women’s participation. A 2024 Economic Times report states that from an 8% increase in women membership in ICAI in 2000, the increase today is nearly 30%.
Institutions like the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), an educated and informed professional body, are seen bending down to the diktats of Hindu spiritual leaders. This deference to the Chief Guest demonstrates the valorisation of misogyny that comes from the Manusmriti, which is also becoming apparent in other educational and professional institutions.
As a group of feminist workers, students, homemakers, and professionals, Feminists in Resistance (FIR) is deeply concerned by the ongoing entrenchment of patriarchal practices in the backdrop of the rising Hindu majoritarian politics, whose goal of a Hindu Rashtra rests on the exclusion of women, Dalits, Adivasis, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people from all marginalised communities. The assault on marginalized communities does not stop at religious minorities. The politics of exclusion are permeating across large sections of society, and women are also getting affected as their entry and participation in public life is antithetical to the ethos of Hindu Rashtra. The BJP and its allies, which form the current ruling party in the Centre, are guided by the same valorisation of misogyny, resulting in the reversal of the hard-won rights of women over the years.
Mr President, your silence is a new low for women’s empowerment in India. Society demands much more from people like you, the torchbearers of progress, than stoic silence. Feminists in Resistance demands a public apology, and an assurance that such an incident will not occur in future, under any circumstance whatsoever.
Dr. Nisha Biswas
(Feminists in Resistance)