TISS elects new ‘pro-student’ council
5 of the 7 elected members were part of the protests demanding aid for marginalised students
With a new ‘pro-student’ council in place, the protest against TISS’s decision to stop student aid to those belonging to marginalised groups has possibly gained momentum.
In polls held last week on Friday, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, elected a students’ union with five of the seven positions going to those who had participated in the protests that rocked the institute’s campuses across the country since February.
The new council has also vowed to take-up up the fight for the 27 students who were barred from contesting these elections for their alleged misconduct during the months-long protests.
“It is a significant victory as it signals the larger democratisation of the institute. Students are more conscious now of their rights especially after the events that unfolded in the last few months. They have started to assert their rights and their interests,” said Jit Hazarika, the president-elect of the union, adding that the access these positions bring will aide in the fight of the less privileged - especially those from the marginalised sections.
“It was important to build a strong student union this year. No one will be equipped to deal with the situation other than the students who were a part of the protest,” averred Hazarika, a doctoral student at the institute.
Elections were held for the seven posts — President, Vice President (Vidya Wakchaure), General Secretary (Alpha Toppo), Treasurer (Harshita Jha), Cultural Secretary (Akunth), Literary Secretary (Yaniam Chukhu), and Sports Secretary (Rupakshi Mathur). The new body will take charge on Wednesday.
The union has its hands full as they navigate through what only promises to be an onerous year.
“We chose to enter electoral politics as it seemed the only way to put forth our demands and ensure the safety of our fellow students who have been unfairly targeted,” Hazarika told Mirror.
One of the biggest tasks facing the council will be to initiate dialogue with the institute – an exercise which has been suspended for some time.
A win for everyone
Protesting students who had been barred from elections were elated with the victory, terming it as a boost to their endeavour.
“The move to restrict us from contesting the elections evidences an atmosphere where critical voices are being suppressed by the institute,” said one of the students who spearheaded the protests.
He said that the union will ensure that the rights of the students remain intact.
“The union will also work constructively on one of our larger demand — fee waiver to students from marginalised groups,” he told Mirror on condition of anonymity.
The students’ union-backed protests began simultaneously on February 21 at all four TISS campuses – Mumbai, Tuljapur, Hyderabad and Guwahati – against the institute’s decision to stop student aid to those belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) from 2016 onwards.
Source: Mumbai Mirror, 30/07/18
