The convocation ceremony of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai, which took place yesterday, September 20, erupted in controversy when five students protested against the suspension of a fellow-student and were met with police action.
Further, one of the students was also detained by the police and had his degree certificate confiscated by the college authorities. Now, the student has been asked to meet the registrar – and it is unclear whether his certificates will be returned to him.
Protest an expression of solidarity
Speaking to EdexLive, one of the five students, on the condition of anonymity, said they expressed their dissent against the suspension of Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, a Dalit PhD scholar, and the removal of over 100 faculty from their jobs by holding placards at the convocation.
“We chose to raise banners in solidarity with Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, a Dalit PhD scholar and a student activist who has been denied access to education for the last 156 days due to the arbitrary suspension, and 119 teachers and staff who may lose their jobs by 31st December 2024 or have already lost,” a statement issued by the students last night reads.
To recall, Ramdas was suspended by TISS Bombay in April this year, for mobilising people to protest in front of the Parliament building under the banner of the Progressive Students’ Forum, a student group at TISS, and inviting people to a screening of Anand Patwardan’s “Raam ke Naam”, a documentary about the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation on the occasion of the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
“As students of TISS, as students of the social sciences, we were taught the importance of fighting against all forms of injustice towards the marginalised sections of the society. Moreover, this education would not have been possible without the faculty members of the institute, who have done a lot for students,” she says, explaining the motive behind the act.
Thus, they decided to use the convocation ceremony as their platform to register their dissent, the former student adds. They raised placards that carried the messages “Revoke suspension of Ramdas”, “Ensure job security for teachers & staff”, and “Reinstate Women Studies faculty and staff”.
Police called in; certificates confiscated
However, as the displays of protest continued throughout the graduation ceremony, the students were met with adverse responses from the management – which resulted in the police being called in.
“Even though our protest was carried out peacefully without disrupting any other proceedings, the administration repeatedly discouraged students from exercising their right to free speech and many police personnel were also invited to the hall,” the students said in their statement.
Eventually, Arghya Das, a graduating student of MA in Women’s Studies and one of the five protesting students, was forcefully taken off the stage and detained by the police and campus guards when he tried to hold a placard that said “Revoke suspension of Ramdas & job security for teachers & staff” and had his certificates taken from him, the students say.
“His degree certificate was taken away from him on the direction of Narendra Mishra, Officiating Registrar,” read the statement from the students.
Das was not given an official statement or notice from the institution about the state of his certificates, the student tells EdexLive.
“Arghya was only told to meet the Registrar on Monday, but he was given no update about his certificates. We don’t know when he would receive them back, or if he would receive them at all,” she says.
As Das cleared all papers and has no dues or arrears left, it is unjust for the administration to withhold his certificates right after giving them away, the student further adds.
Part of a larger problem?
This incident is only part of a worrying shift in the campus environment, says the student further.
“The administration had been monitoring activities of students and student groups, particularly those of progressive students and groups very closely over the last two years,” she says, and adds that groups like PSF have been put under severe scrutiny.
On August 19, the administration of TISS placed a ban on PSF following Ramdas’ suspension. However, this ban was withdrawn on September 19 following massive backlash from the student community of the campus
“In the absence of proper guidelines, the administration has arbitrarily denied permissions for a few individuals and organisations to even conduct seminars and workshops on campus,” she narrates, wondering what the purpose of an education institution that does not allow seminars on campus is.
This year, the institute also mandated students to undertake an honour code that stated, “I would not indulge in any political, anti-establishment, unpatriotic discussions, demonstrations, dharna or any form of activities that disturb the academic environment of the institution”. This was revised following backlash.
However, some groups on campus, like the Democratic Secular Students’ Forum (DSSF), which is allegedly affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad have been exempt from this scrutiny and vigilance, she alleges.
The press note from the students, also alleging this says, “Satyam Gautam, Presidential candidate of DSSF (the shadow front on AVBP) in last year's Student's Union elections, was giving directions to security guards” in the detention of Arghya Das during the protest.
“We have always suspected that the administration was in cohorts with DSSF, as we heard claims that there were regular meetings between the two,” the student alleges, adding that the administration never interacted with other student groups on campus in such a manner.
“To see that the security personnel were listening to the instructions from a DSSF member for the first time only confirmed our worst fears,” she said.
According to the student, these incidents started happening more frequently ever since TISS was brought under the jurisdiction of the Union Ministry of Education in 2023.
“It is extremely alarming to witness these incidents happening when the university is undergoing a turbulent shift in management. Such developments, and attacks on our democratic right to protest undo the purpose of an institution like TISS,” the student laments.
“The actions of the TISS administration at such a prestigious stage must be reversed. The degree certificate of Arghya Das must be returned to him immediately,” the statement declares.
