TISS suspends Dalit student for two years, student body alleges institution silencing voice against BJP

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has suspended a Dalit PhD student for two years allegedly for 'repetative misconduct and anti-national activities'. The suspension order also debars the student, Ramdas Prini Sivanandan, from entering all the TISS campuses.

The Indian Express reported, the student body, Progressive Students Forum (PSF) alleged that Ramdas was suspended for his participation in a protest in Delhi against anti-student policies of the BJP lead government in the centre, in January 2024.

The show cause notice sent to Sivanandan on March 17, questions his participation in against the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 with the slogan “Save Education, Reject NEP, Save India, Reject BJP”.

The suspension order refers to a show-cause notice, sent to him on March 7, which reads that a committee constituted following the notice submitted its report on March 17 " The Committee recommended your suspension for two years and you shall be debarred across all campuses of TISS' the notice further said that the competent authority has accepted the recommendation.

On its 7 March show cause notice the Institute also flagged objections over Sivanandan social media posts from January, appealing to students to join screening of the documentary "Raam Ke Naam".

PSF in a statement on April 19 said that the Parliament march in January organised under the banner of United Students of India, was an attempt to make students voice heard against the National Educational Policy 2020. By suspending student for two years by the institute shows its indirect way of curbing the dissent against the BJP government. The student's body also said the documentary in question was screened by the institute many times and is available online.

TISS officials stated Sivanandan is more like a political activist than a student and he has been involved in violations of discipline codes made for students which brings a bad name to the institute.

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