Dalit PhD Researcher Suspended by TISS for "Anti-National Activities": Students' Union Objects

A Dalit PhD researcher who had assisted in screening a video critical of Narendra Modi on campus last year and protested the nation's education policies outside of Parliament has been suspended for two years by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

The TISS students' union released a statement late on Saturday night contesting the timeliness of the institute's decision to suspend Ramadas K.S. and accusing it of lacking due process and transparency.

A showcause notice was sent to the PhD candidate at the School of Development Studies last month due to his suspected involvement in "anti-national activities."

On January 12, Ramadas took part in a protest outside the Parliament building against the National school Policy's purported endorsement of school privatization. He was waving a Progressive Students Forum (PSF)-TISS flag. The institution viewed this as a flagrant use of its name and a transgression.

Additionally, Ramadas distributed flyers on social media inviting students to a screening of the documentary Ram ke Naam on January 26 following Prime Minister Modi's attendance at the Ayodhya temple dedication on January 22. Anand Patwardhan's film poses critical issues regarding the Ram temple movement.

However, a student informed The Telegraph that the movie was never really aired. Ramadas's posts on the documentary were referenced in the showcause notice.

Additionally, it states that in January 2023, Ramadas presented the "banned" documentary India: The Modi Question on campus. The documentary, which consists of two parts and was removed from various social media sites by the Indian government, critically examines Modi's tenure as Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Gujarat.

The term "anti-national activity" was used in the warning, although no specific conduct was mentioned.

A few other students received showcause letters for engaging in "anti-national" actions related to the showing of the Modi documentary last year on April 18, the day Ramadan was interrupted.

An empowered committee's proposal led to the decision to postpone Ramadan.

In 2017–18, Ramadas was accepted into the combined MPhil–PhD program. He started the PhD program in 2020. Although he claims to have given up the seat in November, he did reside in a dorm on campus.

The institute, however, felt it appropriate to charge him with occupying the hostel "for an extended period of time" and denying accommodations to other students.

According to a statement released by the students' union, the officially recognized body that represents students, "these notices are being sent out labeling students as 'anti-national' and giving baseless accusations as 'hurting religious sentiments', especially during the country's general election season." This raises serious concerns about the administration's intentions in these areas and is highly suspicious.

Vice-chancellor Manoj Kumar Tiwari has been contacted via email on the claims of opacity in the decision to suspend Ramadas. His answer is anticipated.