After a notice dated January 18, Thursday, was issued to the students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai by the institute’s Officiating Registrar Narendra Mishra urging them not to participate in any activities or demonstrations related to the Ram Temple event in Ayodhya, several students have raised questions regarding the same.
The notice, shared by Fraternity TISS via their Instagram handle @faternity.tiss, states, "It has been brought to the notice of the institute that a few students are planning to organise protests in the Old/New Campus of TISS, Mumbai, against the event of Ram Janambhoomi Pran Pratisthan on 22nd January, 2024."
It advises students "not to indulge" in any such "unauthorised activities", failing which, "the law-enforcing agency will take necessary action".
In a statement shared by Fraternity TISS, a student association, students say that there have been no announced protests or programmes concerning the Ram Temple event, making the notice arbitrary.
“The inauguration of the Ram Temple event serves as a public relations event for the Narendra Modi government at the centre, the Yogi Adityanath government in UP, and various Hindutva militant groups. University authorities should not function as mouthpieces for government or Hindu nationalist public relations,” the student association shared on social media platforms on Friday, January 19.
The statement further added that the administration should refrain from suppressing student voices and let campuses be a platform for dissent.
“The construction of the Ram Temple on the site of the demolished Babri Mosque, associated with a history of violence where over 5000 Muslims were killed during the Ram Temple movement, is a significant concern. The January 22 event is not just a temple inauguration but a "victory event" symbolising an Islamophobic and violent anti-Muslim campaign,” the statement further added.
