TISS management issues order to ban student body, calls it ‘illegal’, ‘divisive’

TISS management bans Progressive Students’ Forum, citing unauthorized activities and divisive ideologies, threatening disciplinary action for supporters.

The management of Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) issued an office order on Monday (August 19, 2024) instructing an immediate ban on Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF-TISS), calling it “unauthorised and illegal”.

PSF-TISS is a student body that in June had opposed an arbitrary announcement from TISS discontinuing the services of nearly 100 teaching and non-teaching staff, a decision that the management later reversed.

An office order issued by TISS registrar Anil Sutar, which The Hindu accessed, states, “This notice addresses a critical issue concerning the presence of an unauthorised and illegal forum on our campuses, reportedly Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF-TISS). This group has been engaging in activities that obstruct the institute’s functions, defame the institute, demean members of our community, and create divisions among students and faculty.”

The order says PSF-TISS has been misleading, distracting and misguiding students from their academic pursuits and a harmonious life. “The institute imposes immediate ban of PSF-TISS from all institute premises and activities. Any attempt by this group to organise or participate in unauthorised events will be met with immediate intervention and consequences,” it reads.

The TISS management has warned that any student or faculty member found supporting, associating with or propagating the group’s ‘divisive’ ideologies will be subject to disciplinary action. The order states that anyone who encounters or is approached by members of this group should report the incident to campus security or the institute’s student affairs office, and that all reports will be handled with utmost confidentiality. “We understand that such situations can be distressing. The institute offers support services, including counselling, yoga, and meditation, to all members of our community,” it says. 

“Compliance with these instructions is mandatory. Failure to adhere to these directives will result in stringent disciplinary measures,” states the order signed by Mr. Sutar. 

A member of the TISS faculty, seeking anonymity, said, “The management is trying to create a narrative that PSF-TISS is a disturbance, which is actually very untrue. It is a false narrative.”