TISS students’ union wants FIR dropped

‘Case against Kris Chudawala part of attacks on student voices across country’

Kris Chudawala reading the Preamble at Mumbai Pride 2020.

The students’ union of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has demanded that the FIR against Urvashi Chudawala, who identifies as Kris Chudawala, be dropped and has condemned the maligning of the institute and its students who participated in protests.

“On February 2, an FIR with charges of sedition was lodged against TISS student Kris Chudawala for raising slogans at Azad Maidan during Mumbai Pride 2020. In a judgement of the Supreme Court, it is held that raising slogans cannot constitute sedition unless there is an implicit threat of violence. Using these charges to curb the dissenting voices of the oppressed is highly condemnable,” a statement by the students’ union said.

Sedition, an “outdated colonial law”, was still used as a political tool against minorities, human rights defenders, civil rights activists and other dissenters, it alleged.

“By targeting one student and one institute, it is clear that this FIR is part of systematic and continuous attacks on student voices across the country,” the statement said. It also condemned the sedition charges against Akhil Gogoi, Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Sharjeel Imam and students of Shaheen School in Bidar.

It further said in the face of resistance, fascist forces in the country were trying to delegitimise struggles by questioning students’ nationalism and allegiance to the country. “In the same pride gathering, Kris also read out the Preamble, which was witnessed by all the people present there, thereby negating all claims of them being anti-national,” the statement said.

The union has also criticised the media for being completely queer exclusionary and failing to remain mindful in reporting issues involving queer individuals. “Most of them violate privacy of individuals, share pictures and misgender them, which cause permanent damage to the person’s life,” the statement read.

The statement had been endorsed by most TISS student groups such as the Adivasi Students Forum, the Ambedkarite Students Association, Muslim Students Forum, Muslim Youth Voices, Northeast Students Forum, Progressive Students Forum, Spaceless Collective and Queer Collective.