TISS Guwahati students protest enters fourth day
Guwahati, January 20 (MExN): The protest by marginalised students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati entered the fourth day of the protest after ten months. The demonstration began outside TISS Boys Hostel, Hatigaon which is 18kms away from the main campus in Jalukbari. The Government of India Post Matric Scholarship (GoI-PMS) Students’ Association in a press release stated that the protest was taken outside as they were were not allowed to invite media persons inside the hostel. The demonstration included candlelight, monologues, sharing of experiences and placards and banners by the students.
Taking cognizance of the protest, the administration sent two representatives to have a dialogue with the students. The students were told that the administration cannot help the students if the protest was taken outside the campus on grounds law and order situation in Guwahati. The administrative representatives promised a dialogue with all the students in an open space within the campus tomorrow, January 21 post-4:00 pm.
The GoI-PMS Students’ Association reiterated that the protest is indefinite and will be intensified with time adding that it will not be called off until the administration provides all students from the GoI-PMS category with the full fee waiver for 2018 bath and the batches to come.
It may be noted that the protest that lasted for 3 months against TISS last year by students from the institute to combat its plan to remove the fee waiver for the Government of India Scholarship students have reignited due to failure by the admin in reaching the demands of the students. Last year, the students suspended their hunger strike on the third day after 22 days of protest as a notification from Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) asked them to discontinue their agitation such that a committee can be formed consisting a member of the Union Grant Commission (UGC) faculties from TISS and the students from different campuses.
The committee which included the administration brought about a report with assurances of mechanisms to support these students from marginalised background. From then, during the past 10 months, a group of students have been actively communicating with administration demanding that they follow up to their assurance and relieve the students from their burden of insecurity about their educational career.
