TISS relents, to review ban on students’ group Progressive Students Forum

After receiving letters from various student and teacher unions demanding that the ban imposed on Progressive Students Forum (PSF) be reviewed, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has decided to review their order.
On Saturday, TISS issued a notice saying that the administration has decided to review the ban and will come back with the decision in due course of time. The TISS administration had issued an office order on August 19 banning PSF and calling its presence on campus unauthorised and illegal, following which other student outfits on the campus stood in solidarity with PSF and demanded that the ban be lifted.
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On Friday, TISS Teachers Association (TISSTA) also penned a letter to the registrar, vice-chancellor and chancellor of the university requesting the reconsideration of the decision to ban PSF. In its public notice issued on Saturday, TISS officiating registrar Narendra Mishra stated, “With respect to representation on August 23 addressed to the TISS authorities by PSF, it is to state that competent authority has taken considered view and suggested to review the order of ban imposed on PSF, in the larger interest of the student bodies and the institute. The said issue is under review and Institute will come back with the decision in due course of time.”
On the same day that TISS had banned PSF on the campus, the administration had issued an ‘urgent notice’ to a PSF member, stating that he was indulging in unlawful activities and spreading rumours. TISS had directed him to send a detailed explanation by August 22 against seven of their listed concerns.
Earlier in April, Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, former PSF general secretary, was suspended for two years and debarred for participating in and addressing a student march in Delhi criticising the National Education Policy (NEP). He was also asked to provide an explanation in March this year, which he duly submitted. However, the TISS administration did not consider the response and labelled him anti-national, suspending him without providing clarity on or proof of their allegations. Ramadas has filed a petition before the Bombay high court against TISS and the Government of India.