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A week on, TISS graduate who protested on campus yet to receive his degree
TISS student Arghya Das awaits his confiscated degree certificate post-protest, with calls for solidarity from the Progressive Students Forum
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Mumbai: A week after Arghya Das, a graduating student of MA in Women’s Studies, degree certificate was confiscated by the Tata Institue of Social Sciences (TISS) on convocation day, he is still waiting for his degree certificate and claimed there was no formal communication from the institute about his degree. “When I contacted the institute for my certificate, they informed me that they would conduct an inquiry into the incident. Yet there is no formal communication received for an inquiry,” said Das.
Raising their concern, the Progressive Students Forum (PSF) in a statement said TISS administration is brutally coming down on the democratic rights of students to express themselves. “We urge all students to come out in solidarity as this is not an attack on an individual but our collective rights. PSF strongly condemns these moves by the TISS administration and demands that Das’s certificate be rightfully given back to him immediately,” read their statement.
On September 20, TISS held its 84th convocation, but the event was overshadowed by student protests. Five students staged a peaceful demonstration during the ceremony, demanding the revocation of a two-year suspension on a PhD student, Ramadas Prini Sivanandan, citing “repetitive misconduct and anti-national activities,” and justice for mass termination of teachers and staff who were later reappointed temporarily following the strike.
The protest during the convocation took a dramatic turn when Das raised a placard during the ceremony seeking revocation of Ramadas’s suspension. Das was forcibly removed from the stage by security guards and police officers. According to students, his degree certificate was confiscated, and he was kept away from the convocation hall until the ceremony concluded.
As of now, Das has yet to receive his certificate from the institute. Das is currently working and needs his degree certificate for his employment. Meanwhile, sources from the institute stated that the administration has appointed an inquiry committee to investigate this matter. The committee will send formal communication to all the parties concerned.
Officials from the institute stated that “We will go by the procedure of the institute.”
