Activists, students detained for staging protest over the suspension of TISS student  

Over 16 human rights groups and students had gathered outside the gate of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Chembur, Mumbai, on Wednesday (March 26, 2025) over the suspension of Ramdas P.S., a Dalit PhD research student.

Also Read | TISS suspends PhD student for ‘activities not in interest of nation’

The protest was in light of the March 12 Bombay High Court dismissal of a petition filed by Ramadas K.S., challenging his suspension by the TISS last year for alleged repetitive misconduct and anti-national activities. 

Around six police vans and heavy security of at least 80 policemen surrounded the campus area, prohibiting any demonstration in front of TISS campus. The activists and students’ groups then decided to stage the protest approximately 500 metres away from the TISS campus near Punjabwadi Naka in Chembur. A police officer on duty said that the protestors had not sought any permission for the same.  

As soon as Shailendra Kamble, CPI(M) Mumbai Committee Secretary started to address the gathering, protestors with placards and banners were held. “Trombay Police requests you to not gather on the road, disperse the gathering, the protest is illegal as the organisers have not sought police permission,” the police had announced at the time.

The placards read, ‘Stand with Ramadas, stand with TISS students’, ‘Restore campus democracy’, ‘TISS Admin, your commitment is to ‘social science’ not BJP-RSS! Down with campus autocracy!’, ‘Revoke the undemocratic suspension of Ramadas! Down with the fascist crackdown on student activists’. An activist playing dafli (a handheld percussion instrument) was playing along with the slogans raised, demanding justice for the PhD student. 

Withing 15 minutes, the banners and placards were snatched and torn by policemen, and the protestors were dragged into the vans.  

By 5 p.m., around 50 activists were detained and taken to the police station. Preethy Sekhar, Joint Secretary of All India Democratic Women’s Association, Mumbai, who was also detained, said that they were released only after 8.30 p.m. “The police have told us that we will not be allowed to hold any protest or gathering outside TISS campus but before the gathering, when we had informed them about today’s protest, they had not said anything to us. We will not stop this matter as it is about the future of students like Ramadas in India.” 

Shailendra Kamble said, “Section 135 of the Bombay Police Act, 1951 has been registered against six of us, including me and Dr. Vivek Monteiro, All India Vice-President of Centre of Indian Trade Unions. All the students were released withing a few minutes after they were taken to the police station. We demand that Ramadas’ fellowship should not be stopped. Such discrimination against students from Dalit families should be stopped immediately. TISS should stop its attempts to suppress democracy. Democracy and freedom in the education sector should be protected.”  

Former TISS student Supreeth Ravish who is also an activist with Naujawan Bharat Sabha that was founded by Bhagat Singh in 1926 said, “I think we need a broader student movement because this is not just Ramadas but this is happening across the country. Anybody who raises their voice against the government is being branded as anti-national. Educational institutions are now just shops where students go to get their degree, shut their mouth and get out but not engage in any kind of issue.”  

Sandhya Gokhale, General Secretary, People’s Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL), Maharashtra said, “It is our democratic right to stage a peaceful protest and the Constitution of India allows that. TISS has suspended Ramadas for criticising the BJP central government and for participating in the protest against the new education policy. We organised this protest against his illegal suspension, to protect democracy and freedom in the education sector. He is a first-generation PhD scholar from a Dalit family who topped the TISS MA pre-entrance exam. He also cleared the UGC-NET and secured the National Fellowship for Scheduled Castes. He is a researcher and student activist who has received a national fellowship. He was accused of participating in a march against the education policy in New Delhi. A student who gets a fellowship should not speak against the government and should not give slogans like ‘Save the country, reject BJP’. It is not him who is violating the constitution, but TISS is.”  

Case timeline  

Ramadas first enrolled at TISS in 2015, for a Master’s degree in Media and Cultural Studies, and was also awarded a scholarship by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. In 2017, he enrolled in the integrated M.Phil and Ph.D programme in Development Studies, but deferred admission for a year and joined in 2018. He successfully finished his M.Phil. degree in 2021. On February 8, 2023, he was awarded a national fellowship for Scheduled Caste students on the basis of his performance in the UGC-NET examination.   

On April 21, 2023, Mr. Ramadas received a show cause notice regarding a protest by him and other students held on March 21 that year, since they were denied permission to hold a guest lecture on the occasion of Bhagat Singh’s 92nd death anniversary. He replied to the show cause on April 27 that year, saying that a peaceful protest had been held outside the Director’s bungalow. 

TISS released a circular on June 14, 2023, informing students that propagating their personal views as the views of the Institute would be seen as a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, as well as the Honour Code applicable to students.  

On January 11, 2024, TISS issued a public declaration clarifying its non-involvement in the ‘Parliament march’ being planned by some students. The next day, Mr. Ramadas attended the march at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, as a member of the Progressive Student’s Forum (PSF). This demonstration was conducted by the United Students of India, which is a joint platform of 16 student bodies.  

A few days later, on January 16, 2024, Mr. Ramadas met with an accident following which he underwent a surgery and was hospitalised until January 25 that year. Being bedridden, he went to his hometown in Kerala for recuperation and has not returned to the TISS campus since then.    

On March 7, 2024, a show cause notice was issued to him alleging misconduct and anti-national activity. He responded to the notice on March 20, submitting five appendices as well. The Empowered Committee then issued a report on April 17 that year, suspending him from the institute for two years and debarring his entry across all its campuses.