The hunger strike by students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Hyderabad entered its third day on Wednesday and is expected to continue until the administration is ready to meet their demands. Prior to the hunger strike, students had been on an indefinite protest from December 10.
The lack of transparency of the TISS administration in making important decisions has created anguish among the student community of the Hyderabad campus. Students and a section of the teaching staff had discovered the administration’s decision to scrap the BA Social Sciences (BASS) course and make TISS Hyderabad non-residential through a newspaper advertisement on October 31. On November 22, after repeated attempts, the TISS students’ council met Director Shalini Bharat, who said that the decisions would not be reverted.
Enraged by a public statement “worded in a threatening tone” released by the Internal Management Committee (IMC) and the poor responses received, students went on an indefinite strike from last week. “The student community is deeply infuriated by the insensitive and completely ignorant attitude and accountability of the TISS administration towards the student body despite the indefinite agitation at the campus on 14th December 2018”, a joint press release by the Students’ Council of TISS Hyderabad stated.
The students demanded a meeting between the TISS Mumbai administration and the students’ council as most of the concerns in the Demand Charter of the students come under the purview of the Mumbai administration. The major demands are decentralisation of off-campuses power, reversion of the decision to make the campus non-residential and reinstating the BASS course.
Radhika Vemula and Raja Vemula, mother and brother of Rohith Vemula, addressed the students and joined the hunger strike launched on December 17. A few activists have also expressed their solidarity towards the issue. Several students have decided to stay back in the academic building since December 14 demanding that their voices be heard.
All protesting students have decided to continue the hunger strike with more volunteers till the Mumbai administration comes to Hyderabad to discuss the matter. The director has dismissed the demands and pointed out that the Hyderabad administration is responsible. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad administration has said that the Mumbai administration controls the funds and hence, they have to be contacted.
“Altogether, 10 students are sitting in the hunger strike, including first years, from today,” said Varsha Priyadarshini, a student who has been staying back in the campus since last week. “What we want basically is her (the director) to come down to Hyderabad and have a discussion with us.”
