Arjun Sengupta, an Associate Professor from the Hyderabad campus of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' (TISS) School of Gender and Livelihood has received a memorandum from TISS for supporting the Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF) and expressing disapproval of the termination of TISS faculty.
On October 4, Prof Sengupta, who was hired by the Tata Education Trust (TET) in June 2017, spoke during a protest rally at TISS Hyderabad that was planned in collaboration with the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) and the Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF), reports Hindustan Times.
Prof Sengupta discussed urgent problems that the student body is facing in his speech, such as the mass firing of 119 teaching and non-teaching employees from TISS campuses on arbitrary grounds.
In addition, he spoke out against the alleged assault on student rights and campus democracy, expressing support for Ramadas KS, a Dalit PhD candidate and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activist who was "undemocratically suspended for raising students' issues."
Prof Sengupta underlined the significance of solidarity among students, faculty, and staff in preserving the TISS character at a time when the institute's curriculum is under attack.
After his speech went viral on social media, the TISS management sent Prof Sengupta a memo on October 8. According to the memo, the case involving Ramadas KS is currently pending before the Bombay High Court, hence Sengupta's actions appear to indicate contempt of court authority.
The memo continued, "Act of Sengupta is nothing but, appears to be pressuring tactics and an attempt to gain some publicity and disrupt the peace and academic environment of the institute."
No institute employee shall participate in political or public activities without prior notification to the director, said the memo. It further said that TISS employees should not participate in public discussions or make statements in public, including through the media.
Sengupta has been given seven days to react to the memo, with the caveat that failing to respond will be read as having nothing to say on the subject, perhaps leading to further proceedings. According to the memorandum, any employee found in breach of employment rules would be terminated immediately.
Calling the memo as “hasty, impulsive and ill-judged,” the TISS Teachers’ Association, in a statement issued today, October 19, condemned the actions of the TISS administration
The Association said that disciplinary action against Prof Sengupta “has strengthened the growing perception among the faculty and staff of TISS that the present administration is unfairly making examples out of certain instances/individuals with a view to stifling academic integrity and freedom thereby fostering a culture of overt and covert censorship.”
