TISS students’ committee to continue protest

Row over administration’s decision to relocate to new temporary campus

A day after the administration of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) announced that it is constrained to suspend the academic activities of TISS Hyderabad campus sine die till further orders, the Campus’ Student Action Committee members stated that their protest will continue from hostels. However, a few students from the campus said that while they support the protest, they want classes to resume at the earliest.

Hostel charges

The conflict between the students and the administration started when plans to relocate to a new temporary campus at Brahmanapally in Turkayamjal were announced by the administration around early April. As the temporary campus of TISS Hyderabad is currently non-residential, students had to pay significant amounts to private service hostel providers and landlords to find accommodation during the course of their studies. The protesting students initially highlighted the issue (in their initial Charter of Demands) that certain students, especially ones from marginalised and most vulnerable communities, were disproportionately affected by the high cost of accommodation in the private hostels.

Students of the campus said that after the institute resolved a part of the issue by transferring financial aid to 26 students who were identified to be affected, protesting students demanded that hostel charges be low for all students, irrespective of their ability to pay.

While the TISS administration issued a notice detailing how their attempts to engage with the protesting students and resolve the issue were not reciprocated, SAC members issued eight-page response detailing how the administration allegedly humiliated some students, and that the administration did not hold any meeting with the students.

“It is extremely unfortunate that the students’ peaceful protests for affordable hostels for all, against the attempted ghettoisation of Dalit or Adivasi students, have been painted as ‘unlawful’; attempts have been made to constantly divide the students’ body on the lines of caste and class; and the voices of dissent have been miffed by putting an undemocratic order of closure of academic activities

sine die . The students stand firm on what they were fighting for,”the SAC stated in its response statement.

A student on condition of anonymity said that they are looking forward to attend classes again as the placement season is not too far. “It is our real chance to eventually utilise the best skills that we picked up at TISS,” the student said.