At least 10 students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai were booked on Monday for allegedly taking part in an event commemorating the death anniversary of former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba, The Indian Express reported.

Four students were detained and the police have sought the addresses of some others, The Wire quoted an unidentified student as saying.

The laptops and phones of those detained were also confiscated, another student told the news outlet.

Saibaba, who had over 90% disability and used a wheelchair, spent over seven years in jail on accusations of having links with Maoists. In March 2024, he was acquitted by the Bombay High Court and released. Seven months later, on October 12, he died of post-operative complications in Hyderabad.

On Sunday, some TISS students gathered on campus to light candles and display posters of Saibaba to commemorate his death anniversary.

However, a few students associated with a group named the Democratic Secular Students Forum allegedly disrupted the gathering by tearing down some posters, The Wire reported.

A student who did not wish to be identified told Scroll that members of the group also clicked photographs of the students participating in the event.

“Later, I heard that some people came and tried to tear down the posters,” said the student. “Two students got into a fight. From there, it somehow escalated.”

The police filed the case against the students based on a complaint by the TISS administration, The Indian Express reported.

The first information report invoked charges of causing prejudice to the nation, causing enmity between various groups and participating in unlawful assembly, among others.

The police also alleged in the FIR that the students shouted slogans in support of activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who have been in jail for over five years on account of having taken part in an alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi violence.

However, one of the students who was part of the gathering on Sunday told Scroll that no slogans were shouted at the event.

The student said that the police searched the rooms of those who had attended the gathering.

“None of us have seen the FIR,” said the student. “We cannot understand why this is happening.”

📰 Crime Today News is proudly sponsored by DRYFRUIT & CO – A Brand by eFabby Global LLC

Design & Developed by Yes Mom Hosting