The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai has suspended Dalit PhD scholar Ramadas Prini Sivanadan for two years for participating in protests against the BJP government, according to the Progressive Students’ Forum.
In a statement on Friday, the student group said, “Ramadas, who is also a student leader, had received a notice from the registrar on March 7 objecting to his activism, like joining the Parliament March in Delhi in January and sharing a post about watching the documentary ‘Ram Ke Naam’ which was called an ‘anti-national’ act.”
‘Ram Ke Naam’ is a 1992 award-winning documentary about the Ayodhya Ram temple movement.
The forum stated, “The documentary has been screened at TISS before and on Doordarshan. But the current administration wants to censor what students share online.”
On the Parliament March protest, they alleged, “By suspending Ramadas for two years, TISS is trying to curb dissent against the BJP government.”
The students claimed TISS accused Ramadas of having “controversial speakers” like academics and activists at the annual Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture. They said, “The administration never officially objected before. That they think this way is a blot on the institute.”
The forum termed it a “crackdown on voices resisting BJP policies” and said, “These actions highlight active support for the BJP at the cost of marginalized students’ future, after the government takeover last year.”
Earlier in March, the TISS students’ union had raised concerns over restrictions on activities and “insensitive communication” from the administration.
