TISS suspends Kerala student for ‘activities not in national interest’

Kerala: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has suspended a PhD student for two years for his involvement in activities that are “not in the interest of the nation” and a protest in Delhi under the PSF-TISS banner. Examples like participating in demonstrations were cited. ,

Ramdas Pranisivanandan (30), pursuing a doctorate in development studies, has also been barred from entering TISS campuses in Mumbai, Tuljapur, Hyderabad and Guwahati.

In a notice sent to Principavanandan on March 7, TISS termed instances like screening of documentaries like ‘Ram Ke Naam’ before January 26 as a “symbol of disrespect and protest” against the Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya.
He has also been accused of showing a banned BBC documentary on the TISS campus last January and organizing the Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture (BSML) by inviting “controversial guest speakers”.
It said the issues are “very serious and it is clear that you are knowingly indulging in such illegal activities in the name of freedom of speech and expression.”