Over 600 alumni of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) have criticised their alma mater over the two-year suspension of a Dalit scholar for taking part in an anti-government protest using the name of the institute.
In a statement, the alumni urged the TISS administration to repeal the suspension of Ramadas Prini Sivanandan.
The action by the TISS is opposed to the democratic values and constitutional ethos of social justice, inclusivity, and free thought that have been instilled by the institute over generations, the statement said.
"The suspension order is unprecedented in the institute’s history, which has always upheld the principles of making education inclusive and catering to the most marginalised sections of society," the statement said.
Ramadas took part in a demonstration outside Parliament during a protest programme on National Education Policy on January 12, 2024, under the banner Progressive Students Forum-TISS. The institute considered this a gross misuse of the name of the institute by the student and an act of misconduct.
