TISS panel to look into students’ issues

The governing body of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has constituted a three-member independent committee to look into the issues raised by students. The students’ protest entered its 44th day on Thursday.

Serious implications

The TISS registrar, in an office order issued on March 4, said the governing council had taken cognisance of the protest, which has serious implications for the institute. The committee will consist of Professor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, former chairman of the University Grants Commission; Thanksy Thekkekara, a retired IAS officer; and Professor Gopal Guru of the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The committee will examine the institute’s response to the students’ unrest and their charter of demands, and examine the institute’s current policies in relation to social justice. The committee will also inquire into the role of various stakeholders in the the protest and the students’ allegations about the institute’s management of the scholarship. The committee will also provide recommendations, and is expected to submit its report within three weeks.

Hearing in Delhi

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has also ordered an investigation into the matter, based on a complaint filed by TISS students. In a letter dated March 27, the commission had summoned members of the TISS administration and a students’ representative for a hearing in New Delhi on April 12.