TISS Students Face Police Action Over Event Commemorating G.N. Saibaba

In a move sparking widespread debate, Mumbai’s Trombay Police registered a case on October 14 against 10 students from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) for allegedly organizing an unauthorized event on campus. The gathering, held on October 12 to mark the first death anniversary of former Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba, has drawn accusations of promoting anti-national activities.

According to police sources, the students gathered without prior approval from TISS authorities or local police. During the event, they reportedly raised slogans in support of jailed former JNU students Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, linked to the Delhi riots case. A senior police officer stated, “Ten students have been identified so far, and notices have been issued to them. We are verifying the details of the event, including who organised it and whether any external groups were involved.”

The case invokes several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those for unlawful assembly, promoting enmity between groups, and acts prejudicial to national harmony. The TISS administration filed the complaint, leading to the investigation. Police are reviewing video footage and social media posts for further evidence.

G.N. Saibaba, a wheelchair-bound academic, was arrested in 2014 for alleged Maoist links and acquitted by the Bombay High Court in 2024. He passed away on October 12, 2024, due to health complications. The event has reignited discussions about academic freedom and dissent.

Student groups have reacted strongly. One activist condemned the action, saying, “This is an assault on free expression and the right to commemorate a figure like Saibaba.” Conversely, critics argued, “The campus shouldn’t be used to support those accused of anti-national acts.”

The incident underscores tensions between security measures and campus rights. As the probe continues, it highlights ongoing debates on freedom of expression in India, with some arguing that it has eroded significantly over the past decade.

G.N. Saibaba — Background

Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba (1967 – 12 October 2024) was a scholar, writer and human rights activist from Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh. Saibaba was accused by Indian authorities of having ties with outlawed Maoist organizations and was sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court. He was later acquitted of the charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on 14 October 2022.

After the ruling, the Supreme Court of India suspended the order and asked the high court to re-evaluate the case. On 5 March 2024, Saibaba (as well as five other individuals who were tried along with him) was once again acquitted by the High Court, with the court declaring that the prosecution’s case was invalid due to its lack of technical propriety as well as various cases of dodgy evidence, and called the trial court’s verdict a “failure of justice”. The second acquittal has also been challenged by the state in the Supreme Court, by way of filing a special leave petition the same day and prior to the delivery of the High Court’s judgement. Saibaba died on 12 October 2024, following post-operation complications after undergoing surgery for gallbladder stones.

Saibaba was born in 1967 in Amalapuram, a town in East Godavari of Andhra Pradesh, in a poor peasant family. He used a wheelchair from the age of five due to polio.

Having studied at Sree Konaseema Bhanoji Ramars (SKBR) College in Amalapuram, he finished his degree at the top of the university. He obtained his M.A. in English from University of Hyderabad. In 2013, he completed his Ph.D dissertation, which was awarded by Delhi University. His doctoral thesis was on Indian Writing in English and Nation Making: Reading the Discipline, under guidance of Sumanyu Satpathy.

Saibaba’s literary inspirations are Gurajada Apparao, Sri Sri, and the Kenyan Ngugi Wa Thiong’o. Saibaba’s early works in Telugu were published in Srijana, an Indian magazine. These early articles focused on the dominant forms of knowledge that worked against Dalit and Adivasi participation in Indian literature.