TISS permits Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture with rider
Mumbai: Following a midnight protest by the students, the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) has given permission to the Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture (BSML) scheduled for March 23
Mumbai: Following a midnight protest by the students, the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) has given permission to the Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture (BSML) scheduled for March 23.
The administration, however, said that no external speakers will be allowed to take part in the event, prompting another protest by the Progressive Students’ Forum on Wednesday night.
Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh, and author and human rights campaigner, Harsh Mander, were invited for the talk at the fifth BSML, which would be held on the 92nd death anniversary of the revolutionary.
Ramadas Prini Sivanandan of the PSF said, “The institute eventually responded as a result of our insistence. Even though the BSML has been given permission, this permission comes with the stipulation that no external resource persons or participants will be permitted. This implies that Harsh Mander, Aishe, and everyone else do not have permission. The purpose of the memorial lecture is to bring in well-known individuals and have students interact with them.”
“The administration chose to censor all display materials on Bhagat Singh, which is a first in the history of TISS,” he added.
Earlier, the administration had denied permission for the lecture series. Following which the members of the PSF and the organising committee held a protest outside the institute director’s bungalow late on Tuesday night.
The protesting students stated that the BSML was in its fifth year and that the institute had rejected their request to hold the event. They claimed that the institute verbally rejected their request and there was no formal written notification from the management.
However, an institute representative said that the organisers had not adhered to the guidelines established for campus events. According to the regulations, either the students’ union organises the event or a faculty assumes control and serves as its anchor. In the interest of the student body and the institute as a whole, the institute has the right to reject or make revisions to suggestions, the TISS official said.
