TISS convocation: students protest suspension of Dalit pupil, axing of teachers

Mumbai: The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), a premier grant-in-aid institute under the Ministry of Education, held its 84th convocation on Friday, but the event was overshadowed by student protests. Four students staged a peaceful demonstration during the ceremony, demanding the revocation of a two-year suspension on a PhD student, Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, citing “repetitive misconduct and anti-national activities,” and justice for mass termination of teachers and staff who were later reappointed on a temporary basis following strike.
The protest during the convocation took a dramatic turn when Arghya Das, a graduating student of MA in Women’s Studies, raised a placard during the ceremony seeking revocation of Ramadas’s suspension. Das was forcibly removed from the stage by security guards and police officers. According to students, his degree certificate was confiscated, and he was kept away from the convocation hall until the ceremony concluded. As of now, Das has yet to receive his certificate from the institute.
Narendra Mishra, the officiating registrar, for clarification on withholding Das’s degree has gone unanswered. The protesting students- Sara Bardhan, Sreyas Valsan, Ashique Ali, Md Yaseen KM,- issued a statement explaining their actions, “We chose to raise banners in solidarity with Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, a Dalit PhD scholar who has been denied access to education for the last 156 days due to an arbitrary suspension, and the 119 teachers and staff who may lose their jobs by December 31, or have already been dismissed.”
The students emphasised that their protest was peaceful and did not disrupt the proceedings. However, they alleged that the TISS administration actively discouraged their demonstration and that a significant police presence was brought into the hall.
Ramadas Prini was suspended by the TISS administration for two years after participating in a public march in Delhi and for promoting the national award-winning documentary ‘Ram Ke Naam’ on social media. The suspension sparked outrage among students, who saw it as a violation of academic freedom.
“As students, we deeply value our education at TISS, which has taught us to raise our voices against injustice and strive for social justice. We hope that the TISS administration acknowledges our protest and upholds the institution’s legacy of standing against oppression,” the students added in their statement.
They have demanded the immediate return of Arghya Das’s degree certificate and called for the reversal of the TISS administration’s actions, which they believe contradict the institute’s values of academic freedom and social justice.
During the convocation, 2,646 students and scholars from TISS Mumbai and TISS Tuljapur campuses received their degrees. The chancellor, professor DP Singh, presided over the convocation. The vice chancellor, Prof Manoj Kumar Tiwari welcomed the dignitaries, presented the Annual Report, and read out the resolution for the award of degrees. The Chancellor’s Medal was awarded to Vullinthala Jeevan for the highest grade point average across all programmes.
Till the time of going to the press, the TISS administration did not issue any statement regarding the matter.