TISS suspends Dalit PhD scholar for two years; PSF condemned the action

NEW DELHI: The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has suspended Ramadas, a PhD scholar and student leader from the Dalit community, for two years. The administration also barred his entry from all TISS campuses. The Progressive Students' Forum (PSF), a student organisation at TISS, condemned the suspension of Ramadas.

Ramadas's suspension was conveyed through a letter from the administration on April 18, 2024. Ramadas initially received a show cause notice from the TISS registrar's office on March 7, 2024, which highlighted his involvement in activism. Specifically, his participation in the Parliament March in New Delhi in January 2024 and a social media post urging students to watch the national award-winning documentary 'Ram ke Naam' were cited as acts deemed 'anti-national'.

As per the official press release, the march was organized to voice student concerns about the ruling BJP and its policies, such as the National Education Policy 2020. However, the TISS administration's decision to suspend and bar entry into the campus for two years is viewed as an attempt to stifle dissent against the BJP government.

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Academic achievements

Ramadas has been actively involved in student politics at TISS, a publicly funded institution under the ministry of education, for the past seven years. He initially joined the institute as a postgraduate student, ranking as the topper in the scheduled caste (SC) category. He previously served as the general secretary of PSF and currently holds positions in the SFI central executive committee and as the joint secretary of the SFI Maharashtra committee.

Ramadas has also been accused of organising the Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture (BSML) in TISS with 'controversial speakers'. BSML is an annual lecture initiated by PSF in 2018 and conducted by the BSML organising committee. The PSF urges students, organizations, and activists to stand in solidarity with Ramadas.