AMU students protest Ratan Tata memorial, citing Tata’s complicity in Gaza genocide : Valley Vision

A group of students from Aligarh Muslim University protested against a remembrance ceremony for the late Indian industrialist Ratan Tata, organized on Tuesday at JN Medical College, citing the Tata company’s alleged complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The event was organised by the Department of Business Administration, in collaboration with Dawakhana Tibbiya College.  

The protesting students held placards outside the venue stating, “Tata Bye-Bye to the arms supplier of  baby killers.”

The placards carried by students reflected the “Tata Bye Bye” campaign initiated by the New York-based activist group South Asian Left (SALAM) in response to the Indian company’s role in the Gaza genocide.  

The proctorial team stopped the students from entering the venue, leading to a heated argument between the deputy proctor and the protesting students.

The placard reads,” Tata profits over people’s lives. We remember the victims, not the profiteers.”

Another placard held by the students quoted, “We live in a time when arm suppliers are being remembered.”

A student who was part of the protest told Maktoob, “Honoring Ratan Tata at a minority institution raises significant moral concerns, especially considering allegations of his involvement in supplying arms to the Israeli military, which is implicated in human rights violations. The administration’s previous interventions in curtailing pro-Palestine aspirations in the name of law and order also deliberately highlight the university’s pro-Israeli stance.”

“By celebrating Ratan Tata, the university is ignoring alleged complicity in Gaza genocide, raising important questions about its values and principles,” he added.

“Tata Bye Bye” campaign was launched in launched by SALAM in coalition with dozens of community organisations such as the Palestinian Youth Movement, No Tech for Apartheid, and Art Against Displacement, targeting  the deadly alliance between TCS and Israel, with the Indian capitalists profiting from the genocide of Palestinians.

The campaign draws attention to Tata’s investments in Israel’s tech and financial sectors, particularly its support for start-ups with potential defense applications, which “enables the surveillance and repression of Palestinian civilians.”

They demand an immediate end to Tata’s role in the “death machine” and to cut ties with corporations that fuel apartheid and genocide.