Hold peaceful' protests, court tells TISS pupils

Mumbai: The students of the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) on Wednesday were directed by a city civil court to continue the ongoing protest in a ‘peaceful’ manner without any ‘violent demonstration’ that may harm officials or create trouble in the daily functioning of the administration.

The hearing was held after the administration of TISS sent a legal notice to the protesting students for blocking the registrar’s main office and creating a nuisance in the lobby area.

The ruling stated that the students cannot be deprived by the institute about their right to protest on the campus area but the students need to make sure that they do not resort to any kind of violence. It further directed the administration to have a dialogue with the students and consider their charter of demands in order to reach a solution. The court listed the next hearing in June.

“We never created any nuisance as we believed in a silent and peaceful protest. On Monday, we had to gather around the registrar’s office as they refuse to even hear us. However, we made sure that there was no kind of disturbance or violence while we protested,” a students said. He further added, “Instead of taking the matter to the court, if at all the administration came to us to talk about the matter, the situation could be much better for both the parties.”