A purported viral video showing a senior woman professor getting “married” to a first-year student in a classroom at a state-run university has led to the university ordering an inquiry into the incident on Wednesday. The alleged incident took place in Psychology Department of Haringhata Technology College, in Nadia district, officials said. The college comes under the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology.

The video shows, the professor, dressed as a bride, and a first-year student performing various traditional Bengali Hindu wedding rituals, including the ‘sindoor daan’ (applying vermillion) and ‘mala bodol’ (exchange of garlands), all within the classroom where applied psychology classes are held.

After the videos went viral, the professor, who is also the head of the Psychology Department, and the student have gone missing.

In response to the incident, the university officials have formed a three-member inquiry panel to investigate the matter. Additionally, the university has sought an explanation from the professor.

“We spoke with the professor and she said it was a part of their practical class. We’re not satisfied with her explanation. We started a probe… professor has been sent on leave,” said Tapash Chakraborty, acting vice-chancellor of Haringhata Technology College.

The professor, however, claimed that it was part of a psycho-drama demonstration used to explain concepts in her class. She claimed that it was not a real wedding but an academic exercise and that the videos were meant for internal use and had been “leaked” without her consent.