‘No campus life disturbed’: PSF slams TISS admin for filing FIR against students holding ‘peaceful’ protest

The Progressive Students Forum (PSF) has voiced support for the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) students in Mumbai, who were detained for holding a peaceful protest on campus. The students’ body has also demanded the withdrawal of complaints filed against the students by the institute administration.

On October 14, police registered an FIR against 10 students of TISS for allegedly holding an event to mark the death anniversary of former DU professor GN Saibaba on the Mumbai campus .

According to the police officials, students raised slogans in support of former JNU students Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid during the event held on October 13, 2025.

The PSF , on the other hand, claimed that although the students did not seek permission to stage protests on the institute’s premises, no provocative statements and “certainly’ no disruption was caused to campus life.”

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“Yet, the administration chose to treat this act as an offense worthy of police intervention. The FIR filed names Dr. Vaishali Kolhe, Associate Dean of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), as the complainant. However, as per reports, Ms. Kolhe stated that the case was "imposed on us" by the police and that she was made a complainant "without consent,” the students forum said in an official statement.

“If the official complainant disowns the FIR, then who authorized the police to terrorize the campus? The administration must be answerable for this evident erosion of institutional autonomy,” the PSF stated.

Blaming the administration for plotting conspiracy against the members of the PSF, the students’ body said that the institute should have protected its students but it threatened and harassed them based on their political views and called police inside the campus.

Moreover, inspecting the personal belongings and devices of students is a clear intrusion into students’ personal spaces, it added. Such acts also violate the right to privacy and the dignity of an individual, the PSF said.

“While PSF was not involved in organizing the gathering, it stands firmly and unequivocally in defense of the students' right to express themselves. The right to think, speak, remember, and disagree cannot be subject to administrative permission or police sanction,” it added.

The PSF has demanded the administration to ‘immediately’ stop all forms of intimidation and withdraw the complaints against the students.

It said that the institute must restore an atmosphere of trust and dialogue on campus. They should focus on providing quality education, improving facilities, ensuring placements, and upholding the dignity of every student.