MUMBAI, Oct. 20 -- Two student organisations at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) have issued their statements following the recent police action and FIR registered against students who held a gathering on campus. The incident, which involved a small group of students marking the death anniversary of former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba, has sparked debate over freedom of expression, campus democracy, and institutional accountability. In its statement released on Saturday, the Progressive Students Forum (PSF) alleged that the police action was a "shameful attempt to criminalise student expression," and accused the TISS administration of transforming a democratic academic space into one of "repression and surveillance." The forum condemned what it described as harassment and intimidation of students for organising a peaceful event. PSF said the administration had chosen coercion over dialogue by calling the police instead of resolving the matter through internal channels. The PSF statement further alleged that the administration was conducting a "witch-hunt" against its members by falsely blaming PSF for the gathering. "This malicious targeting of student groups is a direct violation of the right to political engagement," the statement read. The forum also raised concerns about police questioning the students and confiscating their personal belongings, violating their privacy and dignity. PSF alleged that the incident was part of a wider institutional failure, citing a steady fall in TISS's academic rankings and growing dissatisfaction among students over academic quality, placements, and infrastructure. Instead of addressing these issues, the administration was spending its energy on silencing dissent, it read. The PSF demanded the administration immediately stop all forms of intimidation and withdraw complaints against its students. The administration should focus on providing quality education, improving facilities, ensuring placements, and upholding the dignity of every student, it said. Meanwhile, the Democratic Secular Students Forum (DSSF) issued a separate statement distancing itself from the event and the controversy surrounding it. The group alleged that certain social media posts falsely linked its members to the incident and to the circulation of photographs of the gathering. DSSF said such claims were "baseless and factually incorrect." The organisation stated that none of its members had participated in or interfered with the gathering and that it condemned any action violating the privacy or dignity of students. The DSSF added that while it supports discussion and debate on campus, such activities must follow due institutional procedures. It also alleged that university campuses should not become platforms to promote individuals accused of being involved in extremist or unlawful activities, and educational spaces must uphold democratic and constitutional values...