TISS professor gets notice for expressing solidarity with suspended student leader : Valley Vision

The Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) has issued a show-cause notice to Dr Arjun Sengupta, an Assistant Professor for expressing his solidarity with student leader and PhD scholar Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, who had been suspended by the TISS administration.

Sengupta is an Assistant Professor at School of Gender and Livelihoods from the Institute’s Hyderabad campus.

The action comes in the wake of an Instagram video, wherein the faculty can be seen with students, holding placards, and supporting the activists of Progressive Students Organisation (PSO) and the Ambedkar Students’ Association protesting against discontinuance letter to TET faculty and staff and in support of Ramadas.

Sengupta attended the meeting.

In June of this year, the institute had abruptly decided to terminate the employment of 119 teaching and non-teaching staff. As the decision gained media attention, the administration withdrew the termination letters. However, the 119 employees remain uncertain about their employment status post-December.

Sengupta, who is also employed under the TET, spoke about the importance of unity among the students, teaching staff, and non-teaching employees of the institute during the meeting.

The reason, as mentioned in the memorandum issued to Dr Sengupta, is “A widely circulated Instagram video, wherein he can be seen with about 20 students, holding placards, and encouraging Progressive Students Forum (PSF) and Progressive Students Organisation (PSO) for their acts of raising voice against discontinuance letter issued in the month of June, 2024 to Tata Education Trust (TET) faculty and staff and in support of one suspended student namely Ramadas K S.”

According to the memo dated October 8, signed by the officiating registrar of the TISS, Narendra Mishra, disciplinary action is initiated against Dr Sengupta for violation of two clauses of the institute bylaws – participation in political activity which is banned for any institute employee without prior permission from the administration and criticism of the institute which refrains employees from making any statement in public which is criticising the institute or is capable of embarrassing the relations between institute and the central or state government.

The notice also held the assistant professor in contempt of court citing the ongoing litigation in the Bombay High Court regarding suspension of Ramadas who faced action in April for “anti-national activities.”

In April of this year, Ramadas, who belongs to a Dalit community from Kerala, was suspended by the institute for participating in a protest against the National Education Policy (NEP) organised at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. He is currently fighting his suspension order in court.

The memo, states that Sengupta “can be seen sloganeering, inciting, and encouraging students present there for similar protests, which may disturb the peaceful academic environment of the Campuses of TISS.”

It further adds, “Dr. Sengupta has been appointed to conduct teaching, research and field action research to motivate the students to do their best in academics and related knowledge gaining exercise. However, contrary to that he is seen promoting activities that have no connection with any of the tasks meant for a teacher.”

In his response to the institute on October 13, Dr Sengupta stated that the gathering was organised to address various issues and concerns pertaining to current academic functioning at TISS, including the educational implications of “the deep uncertainty being faced by 119 teaching and non-teaching staff whose positions are funded by the TET.”

He also refuted the allegation by the administration which states that he encouraged students to protest.

“In the said video, I clearly mention all three major students’ organisations present across TISS campuses – PSF ASA and PSO – as a recognition of the fact that there is today a generalised concern and anxiety amongst the TISS student body as a whole about the academic implications of a large number of their teachers being terminated post December 31, 2024. It must be noted in this context that in the TISS Hyderabad Off-Campus itself, TET faculty members account for more than fifty percent of the total faculty strength,” he mentioned.