Video Editor: Varun Sharma
Students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Hyderabad have been on strike since Monday, 8 July, against a revision in the hostel fee, which the student body feels is exclusionary to Dalit and Adivasi students.
Our main demand since last week’s protest has been to lower the fees so that entire expenses can be covered from student aid and scholarships.
After the institute’s operations were moved to a different campus, the new private service provider asked us for the accommodation fee to be made in advance for six months or a year. For the government of India post-metric scholarship (GoI-PMS) students, that means a payment of Rs 54,650 at one go, an amount that is immensely high.
Quite shockingly, many Dalit and Adivasi women were asked to stand on the streets at 11 pm in the night because they could not pay the tariff. These measures suggest that TISS is becoming an exclusionary rather than inclusionary space.
Since meetings with the administration bore no fruit, eight students went on a hunger strike on 11 July, and more pledged to join in if the students’ demands were not met. However, cries for help fell on deaf years as the administration denied meeting with us again.
Two among the students who were on a hunger strike fell extremely ill and another had to be admitted to the hospital, but the TISS administration did not wish to hear our demands.
However, instead of assurance from the management, the campus was closed indefinitely on a ‘sine die’ order from Monday, 15 July, meaning an indefinite closure till the protests stop. All the students were asked to vacate the campus by 5 pm.
Many feel the sine die closure is a measure to stifle protest. Still, even though we are not at campus, the protest will continue. In their response, the Student Action Committee members have rightly said that “even though voices of dissent have been miffed by putting an undemocratic order of closure of academic activities, the protests will continue.” This is only the beginning.
As a friend points out,
“This closure is an effort to stop students from protesting. TISS is a campus that hosts students from different castes, class, culture, and social background. We had just demanded for a reduction in the hostel fees. We had demanded inclusion and diversity in our campus. But the administration tried to suppress our voice.”
It is extremely unfortunate that peaceful protests have been deemed ‘unlawful’. Hostels should be affordable for all, and we will speak against the ghettoisation of Dalit and Adivasi students. We request the media to help us students in getting back our academic spaces, free of corruption and caste-based discrimination.
(The author is a student of Development Studies at TISS Hyderabad and wishes to stay anonymous. All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quintinquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)
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