Mumbai: The Democratic Secular Students Forum (DSSF), “a masked wing of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)” affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has been persistently making baseless allegations against the Progressive Students Forum (PSF), with no proof to back up these claims, the PSF has alleged in a statement. “These allegations are nothing but an attempt to bully PSF members into silence,” the PSF said.
The statement comes after the DSSF claimed that a significant quantity of banned contraband was procured from the hostel room of a student associated with the PSF.
On February 6, Vipin Dhaliwal, a first-year student of Development Studies, shared a message in a common WhatsApp group, undersigned as ‘Concerned Students of TISS’, alleging that a PSF member was found holding a ‘large amount of banned contraband’. In response, PSF lodged an official complaint with the Office of Students’ Affairs, arguing that such false information endangered the safety of around 300 PSF members on campus.
Two days later, the DSSF reiterated these claims in a statement published on social media, which was widely shared across WhatsApp groups. According to PSF, when members of the broader student community questioned these allegations, DSSF supporters resorted to bullying tactics.
The DSSF, in its statement, asserted that the alleged drug recovery from a hostel room raised serious concerns about PSF’s integrity. The forum accused PSF of having a history of drug-related offences and claimed that the organisation had a systematic strategy of entrapping students into substance abuse. “The consequences of these activities extend beyond individual harm—they tarnish the reputation of TISS as a premier institution and have a detrimental impact on its ranking, credibility, and placement prospects for all students,” DSSF alleged.
In response, PSF categorically denied any connection to the concerned student from whose hostel room the drugs were seized. It stated that the recovery was made under the supervision of TISS authorities, including Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Shankar Das and Associate Dean of Student Affairs Professor Vaishali Kohle. PSF maintained that the student in question had never been affiliated with the organisation.
PSF further claimed that the ongoing allegations were part of a pattern of targeted attacks against them. The organisation pointed to previous incidents, including the arbitrary suspension of its former General Secretary, PhD student Ramadas, in April 2024, and the subsequent banning of PSF by the administration in August 2024, which was lifted following student resistance and public pressure. The latest allegations, PSF suggested, were an attempt to influence the final verdict of Ramadas’s suspension case, currently awaiting a ruling from the Bombay High Court.
The PSF statement accused DSSF of being politically motivated, alleging that it was unconcerned with genuine campus issues, such as the termination of 115 teachers and staff, the absence of a Students’ Union, and the discontinuation of instalment-based fee payments for students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Reaffirming its commitment to student rights, PSF said it had consistently worked towards ensuring transparency in the admission process, the timely conduction of Students’ Union elections, and the disbursal of student aid. It called for strict action against those spreading misinformation on public platforms, arguing that such campaigns endangered student safety.
“Having differences in political opinions and engaging in discussions is important for a vibrant campus space. However, this should not lead to propaganda that puts individuals’ lives at risk,” PSF stated. It urged the TISS administration to provide greater awareness regarding drug abuse, along with counselling and rehabilitation facilities on campus.
Meanwhile, DSSF has demanded immediate action against PSF members allegedly involved in drug-related activities. The forum called upon the administration to investigate the role of PSF’s parent organisations, which it claimed were promoting extremist ideologies.
