Mumbai: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has expelled a media studies student from the hostel after drugs were recovered from her hostel room even as police have registered an FIR under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against an unknown person. The action followed the institute’s empowered committee’s investigation into a written complaint filed by the girl’s roommate.
On Feb 3, TISS received a letter from a student residing in one of the six hostels on the Deonar campus, requesting a room change due to the unpleasant smell in her room.
In the letter, the complainant alleged that her roommate was living in an “unhygienic manner”, kept the room untidy, and smoked in the room. The same day, the hostel warden — a professor — and a section officer, along with the complainant, inspected the room and found an empty cigarette packet, rolling paper, and a plastic packet containing ganja in the girl’s sling bag, the FIR stated. They put the packet back into the sling bag and sealed the room.
TISS then set up an empowered committee, comprising the students’ dean, faculty members, and the section officer. The student was called before the committee the next day. She denied the allegations and claimed that someone else placed the ganja packet in her bag to frame her, mentioned the FIR. The institute’s report was submitted to Trombay police station, based on which the FIR was registered on Feb 13 against an unknown person under the NDPS Act.
An official said TISS decided to expel the student from her hostel based on the committee’s findings, but she will continue to study at the institute. He added that further course of action will be based on the police investigation into the matter.
TISS has six hostels on the campus, including three for girls, which currently house 975 students.