TISS suspends student Ramadas Prinisivanandan for “Anti-National” Activities.

Ramadas Prinisivanandan (30), who is pursuing his doctorate in Development Studies, has been debarred from entering the TISS campuses in Mumbai, Tuljapur, Hyderabad, and Guwahati. In a notice sent to Prinisivanandan dated March 7, TISS referred to instances such as the screening of documentaries like ‘Ram Ke Naam’ ahead of January 26 as a “mark of dishonour and protest” against the Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya.

He has also been accused of screening a banned BBC documentary on the TISS campus last January and organizing the Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture (BSML) by inviting “controversial guest speakers”. The notice stated that these issues are “very serious and it is discernible that you are intentionally and deliberately indulging in such unlawful activities in the name of freedom of speech and expression.”

The TISS notice dated April 18, recommended Prinisivanandan’s suspension from the institute for two years and debarred his entry across all campuses of Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Prinisivanandan, who hails from Kerala, stated that he will appeal against the suspension.

The Progressive Student Forum, a Left-leaning student body Prinisivanandan is associated with, clarified that the march referred to by the TISS was related to “anti-student policies in the form of the National Education Policy”. Additionally, it mentioned that BSML has had the distinction of inviting well-known academics, scholars, and human rights activists, including two Ramon Magsaysay awardees.

The TISS notice emphasized that the activities of Prinisivanandan are not in the interest of the nation, and as a public institution, TISS cannot permit or tolerate its students indulging in activities that are considered anti-national and bring a bad name to the nation. The notice portrayed the mentioned activities as serious criminal offenses, ultimately leading to Prinisivanandan’s suspension and debarment from all TISS campuses.