A PhD candidate at the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) was suspended for two years for “repeated misconduct and anti-national activities” on 18th April. The Progressive Students Forum (PSF) claimed that Ramadas Prini Sivanandan’s involvement in a protest march in Delhi in January against the central government’s purportedly anti-student policies was a factor in the decision. However, the institute’s administration has asserted a “serious violation of discipline code made for students.”
The suspension order also restricted the student from all TISS campuses and cited a show-cause letter that was delivered to him on 7th March that questioned his participation in the march and listed several other actions on the Mumbai campus of the university. The suspension decision mentioned a show-cause notice that was delivered to him on 7th March and specified that on 17th April, a committee that was formed in response to the notification presented its recommendations. The pupil has 30 days to file an appeal.
The order read, “The Committee recommended your suspension for two years and your entry shall be debarred across all campuses of TISS,” with the addition that the recommendations have been approved by the appropriate authority. According to the 7th March notification, he participated in the protest under the PSF-TISS banner, misusing the institute’s name. According to the letter, the application of the name gave the institute which receives funding from the Ministry of Education a false impression because PSF is not an officially recognized student body.
“Save Education, Reject NEP, Save India, Reject BJP” was the slogan used during the January Parliament march, which was organized by United Students of India, a coalition of sixteen student groups, in opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. “The march was an attempt to make student voices heard against the ruling BJP and its anti-student policies in the form of the National Education Policy 2020. However, by suspending a student and debarring his entry into campus for two years, the TISS administration is indirectly trying to curb all dissent against the BJP government,” read a statement released by the PSF.
Ramadas acknowledged that he took part in the “Parliament March” in Delhi on 12th January. The committee labelled the event “politically motivated,” given that the pamphlet’s slogan was “Save Education, Reject NEP, Save India, Reject BJP.” The committee noted that the organisers allowed him to participate due to his status as a TISS PhD student. The committee declared that these kinds of activities are wasteful of the institute’s resources and unlawful.
Ramadas was the PSF’s previous general secretary. He presently serves on the Student Federation of India (SFI), the PSF’s governing body, as a member of the central executive committee. Furthermore, he works as the SFI Maharashtra State Committee’s joint secretary. The institute also objected to social media posts made by him in January, urging students to attend the 26th January screening of Anand Patwardhan’s controversial documentary “Raam Ke Naam,” referring to it as “a mark of dishonour and protest against the Ram Mandir inauguration in Ayodhya,” in its 7th March show-cause notice.
“The documentary is also available for public viewing on YouTube and has also been screened on Doordarshan. The current TISS administration, however, wants to censure voices even in the online space in what students want to share and talk about,” PSF accused in a statement on 19th April.
Ramadas alleged that he had posted his personal opinions on social media and urged people to watch the documentary, which was prohibited but had previously been officially screened at the institute several times. However, the committee argued that he was utilizing the institute’s resources to pursue his own political goals. The committee came to the decision that the institute would not challenge any legal action taken by the authorities.
The show-cause notice stated that Ramadas has a history of organizing unapproved programs and protests under the auspices of PSF-TISS. It also listed further events, including the screening of the banned BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the campus on 28th January 2023, the holding of the Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture with the participation of “contentious speakers” and late-night sit-ins with loud sloganeering outside the TISS director’s bungalow.
Although Ramadas declined to comment on the events, a close friend of his stated that he has answered every notice from the institute. “He has responded to the March 7 notice too. We are shocked with the action taken by the institute.” A student voiced that the fellowship amount along with the HRA (Rs 48,000/month) is likely to be discontinued following the suspension. According to the PSF, the administration’s actions demonstrate a pattern of actively supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party government, which is in power, at the expense of the prospects of students from underprivileged backgrounds.
“As a first-generation learner, Ramadas has unequivocally defended student rights on campus. Beyond his work as an activist, Ramadas is also a meritorious student, receiving the National Fellowship for Scheduled Castes by the Ministry of Social Justice, Government of India, for excelling in the UGC-NET examination. The autocratic actions of the TISS administration are a direct attack on marginalised students who hope to pursue higher education in public-funded institutions,” PSF alleged in a statement.
However, a top administrative officer at the institute pointed out that Ramadas is more akin to a political activist than a student and added, “He has been involved in many violations of discipline codes made for students. Such activities bring a bad name to the institute and impact the prospects of other students studying in the institute.”
Ramadas repeatedly received warnings and reminders before one show-cause notice, to which he responded with “vague, disrespectful, and unsatisfactory justification.” Notwithstanding this, the institute did not take any action because of his potential career path.
The notice highlighted that the two issues (parliament march and screening of the documentary ‘Ram ke Naam’) are highly severe and that it is against the institute’s Honor Code clauses for students to propagate their own opinions as TISS views in any medium. Furthermore, the notice stated that since TISS is a public institution, “it cannot permit or tolerate its students indulging in activities which are anti-national and bringing bad name to the country” and that such activities constitute a “serious criminal offence.” It also stated that Ramadas’ activities “are not in the interest of the nation.”
According to an administrator from the institute, the student has been engaging in “illegal” activities on a regular basis. He observed, “Students are expected to focus on studies, but a section of students are involved in political activities, which is bringing a bad name to the brand value of the institute and also affecting its placements. We are a public-funded institution,” and expressed that some other students had faced disciplinary punishment for acting violently and inciting hatred on campus.
Ramdas was pursuing his PhD in the growth and evolution of plantation workers. According to sources, he would seek legal help about the matter.
