Know all details about the identity of Payal Banerjee a MAKAUT psychology teacher, whose marriage ceremony video with a first-year student inside classroom went viral
A viral video showing a senior woman professor “marrying” a first-year student in a classroom at a state-run university has prompted an official inquiry. The incident reportedly occurred in the Psychology Department at Haringhata Technology College in Nadia district, part of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology. This video depicts the professor, dressed as a bride, and the student performing traditional Bengali Hindu wedding rituals in a classroom.
Who is professor Dr Payal Banerjee as video of Haringhata Technology College (MAKAUT), West Bengal psychology teacher ‘wedding’ with student in classroom goes viral
#Watch: A Bengal govt-funded university professor, Payal Banerjee, is under investigation after a video of her staging a mock wedding with a first-year student in a classroom went viral.
The professor claims that it was part of a cultural event and is considering legal action… pic.twitter.com/5qjxmWJn6L
— Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) January 30, 2025
Professor Payal Banerjee, the teacher in the viral video has many degrees and awards and also has many research papers in UGC. Professor Payal Banerjee is a graduate from Punjab University, Chandigarh and has done post graduation from Guru Nanak Dev University and has a post PG diploma from Calcutta University.
She has done her PhD in Psychology from Adams Universitya and has written 13 books. Her 14 research papers are submitted to UGC and in 2009-10 she worked as a psychologist intern at Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi. Since October 2022, she has been working as an Assistant Professor at Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT) and is a member of the Indian School Psychology Association and the Indian Science Congress.
It was reported that a professor from a government-funded university in West Bengal, Payal Banerjee, found herself at the center of controversy after a video surfaced showing her participating in a mock wedding with a first-year student in a classroom. The video went viral, leading to public outcry and an official inquiry by the university. Banerjee, who was previously the head of the Applied Psychology Department at Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT) in Nadia’s Haringhata, clarified that the incident occurred during a freshers’ welcome event and was part of a cultural skit.
Payal further stated that she had no role in creating the e-invite for the event and suggested that the video was released with the intention of damaging her reputation. In her defense, Banerjee explained that she agreed to participate in the skit upon the request of her students, who had planned the entire cultural program. According to her, the event was lighthearted and intended for entertainment, not a serious enactment of a wedding.
Payal also mentioned that the students had printed the invitations and prepared the program without her direct involvement in the planning. The university’s interim vice-chancellor, Tapas Chakrabarty, confirmed that an inquiry had been initiated, although he expressed surprise that the video, which was filmed on January 16, had only surfaced twelve days later. While some students supported Banerjee’s actions, calling it an example of psychodrama, numerous senior academics, questioned the appropriateness of the event, especially considering the legal age of marriage. The professor has currently been sent on leave.
Dr. Payal Banerjee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology.