TISS suspends PhD student for alleged ‘anti-national activities’

NEW DELHI: The Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) has suspended one of its PhD students, Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, for a duration of two years, citing “repetitive misconduct and anti-national activities”.

While the institute administration claims that the decision is rooted in a “serious violation of discipline code made for students”, the Progressive Students Forum (PSF) alleges a connection between the suspension and the student’s involvement in a protest march against the central government’s alleged “anti-student” policies.

The suspension order, dated April 18, prohibits Ramadas from accessing all campuses of TISS.

It follows a show-cause notice sent to him on March 07, questioning his participation in a protest march in Delhi and other activities on the Mumbai campus.

According to the notice dated March 07, Ramadas was accused of misusing the institute's name by participating in the protest under the banner of PSF-TISS, which is not a recognized student body.

The participation allegedly created a false impression of the institute, which receives funding from the union ministry of education.

The protest march in January, organized under the banner of United Students of India, aimed to voice opposition against the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The PSF argues that by suspending Ramadas, the TISS administration is attempting to stifle dissent against the ruling BJP government.

Ramadas, a PhD scholar from the Dalit community and former general secretary of the PSF, is currently a member of the central executive committee of the Student Federation of India (SFI) and serves as joint secretary of the SFI Maharashtra State Committee.

In addition to his protest participation, objections were raised against Ramadas for his social media posts in January, inviting students to join a screening of the documentary “Raam Ke Naam” on January 26, which was described as a protest against the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

While Ramadas has responded to the notices issued by the institute, the PSF condemns the administration's actions, alleging bias in favour of the ruling BJP government at the expense of marginalized students' futures.

They highlight Ramadas's academic achievements and activism, portraying the suspension as an attack on marginalized students aspiring to higher education in public-funded institutions.

A senior administrative official from TISS characterizes Ramadas as more of a political activist than a student, citing multiple violations of discipline codes and their negative impact on the institute's reputation and other students' prospects.