Mumbai- On the morning of July 30, over a dozen residential PhD scholars at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) received eviction notices demanding they vacate their campus housing within 24 hours.

The notices were issued due to the scholars' extended stay beyond the institute's five-year housing limit. The affected scholars primarily belong to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Denotified/Nomadic communities.

The majority of these scholars come from rural areas across Maharashtra and other parts of India. “How is it feasible for us to move out within a day and return to our hometowns?” questioned one scholar.

Another student, who began their PhD in 2019 and is currently in the thesis-writing phase, contested the notice’s accuracy. “The administration claims we’ve stayed here for over five years. This is not true. During the COVID-19 lockdown, we were in our villages for over two and a half years. In reality, we have lived on campus for about three to three and a half years,” they explained.

Typically, a PhD program takes around five years to complete, but the pandemic caused significant delays, particularly in fieldwork. At TISS, hostel facilities are mainly allocated to SC, ST, and OBC students, although they are not free of charge.

Prior to the eviction notices, students had received warnings in April and June. They had communicated their thesis-writing challenges to the administration and were assured an extension until September. The sudden eviction notice, therefore, was unexpected.

TISS, which transitioned from an autonomous institution to one governed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) recently, has been embroiled in administrative issues. The institute also faced controversy for issuing termination notices to over 100 staff members across its campuses. These notices were later retracted following public backlash, but a resolution for the affected staff members remains unresolved.

The eviction notices assert that TISS, as a public university, provides hostel accommodations to facilitate students' education under certain conditions. However, the scholars argue that displacing them undermines this objective. They also believe that the eviction targets politically vocal students who have frequently criticized administrative practices.

The eviction letters were signed by Professor M. Mariappan, Dean of Student Affairs, and Dr. Vaishali Kohle, Associate Dean of Student Affairs. Following the issuance of the notices, the students met with Mariappan, who stated that he could no longer intervene as the decision came from higher authorities.

In a letter submitted to the Dean, the students expressed their distress, highlighting their marginalized backgrounds and the impracticality of finding alternative accommodation on short notice. They argued that their sudden displacement was both unjust and unfeasible.

The Wire was the first to report on this issue. In response to their inquiries, Dr. Kohle provided the administration’s viewpoint, clarifying that First of all, its not eviction of any students of TISS but requesting those to vacate the hostels who are unlawfully overstaying in the hostels by depriving huge number of deserving new students. The eviction was not an attempt to target students unfairly but to address those overstaying their accommodation beyond the rules, thereby affecting new students' access to housing. Kohle’s response also claimed that some PhD students had significant outstanding dues, contributing to the institute's financial difficulties.

One student disputed these claims, stating they had cleared all dues and had not overstayed their accommodation. They criticized the administration's approach and accused it of insensitivity toward marginalized students.

Dr. Kohle also mentioned that TISS is facing financial strain, with a debt of Rs 18 to 19 crore due to unpaid fees by former students. She cautioned against using media to defame the institute, stressing the need for responsible reporting.

(The news details are based on a story first published by The Wire)