The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai has suspended a PhD student for two years for allegedly indulging in activities which were ‘not in the interest of the nation’. Ramadas Prinisivanandan (30), who is pursuing his doctorate in Development Studies, has also been barred from entering the TISS campuses in Mumbai, Tuljapur, Hyderabad, and Guwahati.

According to the notice sent to Mr. Prinisivanandan, TISS referred to his participation in a protest in Delhi under the PSF-TISS banner and screening the documentary ‘Ram Ke Naam’ on January 26 as reasons for his suspension. The notice stated that his actions were not in the interest of the nation and fell under the category of serious criminal offenses.

Mr. Prinisivanandan was also accused of screening a banned BBC documentary on the TISS campus and organizing the Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture by inviting controversial guest speakers. The institute’s disciplinary committee recommended his suspension for two years, and he is now barred from entering all TISS campuses.

In response to the suspension, Mr. Prinisivanandan plans to appeal before the institute’s internal authority. The TISS claimed that he repeatedly failed to prioritize academic commitments and unlawfully stayed in his allotted hostel, depriving other PhD scholars of hostel accommodation.

The Progressive Student Forum, with which Mr. Prinisivanandan is associated, claims that the protest in Delhi referred to by TISS was related to the National Education Policy, and the Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture has invited esteemed academics and human rights activists.