Professor Shankar Das, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), has been accused of withholding a graduating student’s degree during the convocation at TISS Hyderabad on Sunday because the student wore a keffiyeh, a symbol of solidarity with Palestine, within the campus premises, though not on stage.
Ablaz Mohammed Schemnad, a Master’s graduate in Developmental Studies from TISS Hyderabad, told Maktoob that he felt humiliated when he was refused the certificate on stage.
According to Ablaz, authorities claimed that wearing the keffiyeh on campus violated decorum, leading to the decision to withhold his degree.
Video footage accessed by Maktoob shows Professor Das refraining from handing the certificate to Ablaz when his name was called. Ablaz then returned without receiving his degree.
He was given the certificate only after submitting a written apology.
The keffiyeh, a black-and-white checkered headdress, has long symbolised Palestinian identity and resistance. Demonstrators in hundreds of cities worldwide have been wearing the keffiyeh to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
