Suspension of Ramadas a dangerous precedent for academic freedom: Rights body

Human rights groups demand reinstatement of TISS student facing political charges, highlighting threats to academic freedom and democracy in India.

Around 30 human rights groups, students, teachers and journalists demand immediate reinstatement of Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, a PhD student at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, and the withdrawal of all politically motivated charges against him. 

Gathered at a press conference at Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh on Saturday (March 29, 2025), the organisations emphasised that academic institutions must be spaces where diverse voices are heard, where marginalised communities are empowered, and where democracy thrives.

In April 2024, TISS suspended Mr. Ramadas accusing him of “anti-national activities” citing his participation and address in the Parliament March which criticised BJP’s education policies and demanded education for all, organised by United Students of India, a joint platform of 16 student organisations, and his social media appeal to watch Ram Ke Naam - a documentary exposing the communal agenda of the Sangh Parivar on a different occasion, said Indian filmmaker Anand Patwardhan.  

Also Read | TISS Ph.D. scholar challenges institute over his suspension in Bombay High Court 

“To justify, the institute relied on invitation of guest speakers for Bhagat Singh Memorial Lectures in the past; such as P. Sainath, Bezwada Wilson, Gopal Guru, Hannan Mollah etc. These actions, protected under India’s constitutional right to free expression, were deliberately misrepresented by TISS to silence a vocal critic of the current political dispensation. The persecution of Ramadas reflects the BJP’s deep-seated fear of student movements and critical thinking that challenge its Hindutva agenda,” music composer and Dalit activist Sambhaji Bhagat said.  

Mr. Ramadas, a first-generation learner from a Dalit background, hails from Wayanad, Kerala, from an Adivasi dominated region. It has been quite a journey for someone like him to bypass all the challenges and pursue PhD at the School of Development Studies at TISS, said Senior journalist and founding editor of People’s Archive of Rural India, P. Sainath, who brought data and reports on suicide cases from elite educational institutes during the regime of the BJP government.  

Mr. Ramadas completed both his Master’s and MPhil degrees from TISS and was a topper in National Entrance Test conducted by TISS for MA admissions in the past. He currently is a recipient of the National Fellowship for Scheduled Castes (NFSC) awarded by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, recognizing his performance in the UGCNET exam during his PhD.