Shocking Incident at ICAI Conference in Kolkata: Women Asked to Vacate First 5 Rows
A startling incident took place at the International Conference of CA Students held in Kolkata on 22-23 June 2024, where the Chief Guest, Swami Gyanvatsalya from BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, demanded that all women vacate the first 5 rows, or he would walk out. This demand, followed by the compliance of an ICAI Committee member, provoked widespread criticism and disbelief.
Key Statistics
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a regulatory body established by the CA Act of 1949, overseeing approximately 400,000 Chartered Accountants. Notably, the number of women Chartered Accountants has risen to 30% from a mere 8% in 2000, and female students now constitute 43% of the 863,000 CA students.
Details of the Event
The event, attended by over 3,600 participants, was graced by Swami Gyanvatsalya as the Chief Guest, along with other prominent speakers and dignitaries. Despite the significant female representation within ICAI’s membership and student body, the event’s inauguration was notably conducted exclusively by male figures.
Unbelievable Banishment of Women
The demand made by the Swami, followed by the discriminatory announcement that women and girls should not occupy the first five rows, led to the relocation of female event organizers, volunteers, and attendees. The subsequent fallout and rightful backlash expressed widespread disappointment towards both Swami Gyanvatsalya and the ICAI.
Deafening Silence
Both Swami Gyanvatsalya and ICAI have not issued an official response to the incident, drawing further criticism for their failure to condemn regressive demands and actions.
Call for Accountability
The incident has shed light on the existing gender disparity in leadership roles within ICAI, prompting a call for immediate action to ensure equal opportunities for women. This issue is particularly poignant in a country where the Finance Minister herself is a woman who has served two terms.
The incident at the ICAI conference has sparked rightful outrage, underlining the urgent need for accountability, equality, and respect for all individuals, regardless of gender.
- During a CA Conference in Kolkata, the Chief Guest a Swami from BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir boldly demanded – that all women vacate the first 5 rows, or he would walk out! Yes, you read that right.
- Even more jaw-dropping? ICAI Committee member shamefully complied with this absurd and discriminatory request.
- Here’s how this ridiculous scene unfolded.
Stats you should know
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a statutory body established by the CA Act of 1949 to regulate the profession of Chartered Accountancy in India.
ICAI boasts approximately 4,00,000 members who are Chartered Accountants.
According to a 2024 Economic Times report, women Chartered Accountants now make up 30% of the membership, a significant increase from just 8% in 2000.
Among the 863,000 CA students, the female students make up 43%.
ICAI Kolkata Event
ICAI is divided into five regions in India: Eastern, Western, Northern, Southern, and Central.
Each region hosts events regularly.
In one such event, the International Conference of CA Students held in Kolkata they had over 3,600 participants. This was on 22-23 June 2024.
The Chief Guest was Swami Gyanvatsalya from BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir.
The other speakers included CA influencers like Kushal Lodha, Rachana Ranade, and Neha Dutta.
Despite proudly claiming that 1 in every 3 members at ICAI is female and over 42% of their students are women… This event was inaugurated by (of course all men)!
- Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal, President, ICAI
- CA Charanjot Singh Nanda, Vice-President of ICAI
- (Dr.) Debashis Mitra, Past President, ICAI, Advocate
- Vijay Kumar Jhalani, Government Nominee,
- (Dr.) Rajkumar S. Adukia, Chairman, BoS
- Sridhar Muppala, Vice Chairman, BoS in the presence of Management Committee Members of EIRC.
- Prof. Santa Dutta (De), Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta, was a distinguished guest at the conference
And this is what happened at the event…
Inauguration of International Conference of CA Students 2024, in Kolkata\\
….Banishing Women to the Back
Swami demanded that no women or girls should sit in the first five rows of the hall and threatened to leave if his request was not followed.
What happened next?
An ICAI Committee member grabbed the mic and declared, “No ladies, no girls, no girl volunteers in sight, folks! Hustle up, he’s on his way!”
Yes, you heard right – Female event organizers, volunteers, and attendees integral to the conference were told to leave the prominent seating areas and move to the back rows.
Hard to believe that a Swami advocating for “Viksit Bharat” would have such ridiculous views. And ICAI making that announcement? Even stranger and shameful!
The backlash begins, rightfully so!
The incident caused a lot of criticism towards Swami Gyanvatsalya and the ICAI.
People are upset that the prestigious Institute would invite a guest with demands that go against equality and respect.
