A section of students, faculty members, and staff of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata gathered near the campus on Friday, voicing concern over a draft bill that proposes to turn the institute from an “autonomous society to a statutory body” under the central government.

Around 1,000 protesters formed a human chain and held a public meeting at Dunlop More, close to the BT Road campus in north Kolkata.

The gathering drew students, researchers, teachers, and non-teaching staff, who said the move threatens both the ethos and functioning of one of India’s premier academic institutions.

“Students, researchers, faculty members, and non-teaching staff participated in the protest, and we also raised the issue with members of the public who supported our move,” one of the protesting researchers, Udvas, told PTI.

Protesters argue that shifting ISI to a centralised structure would disrupt the balance that has shaped its identity for decades. They fear that the proposed framework would “rob its autonomy and change its character by making it a fully centralised entity”.

Another major concern is the draft bill’s emphasis on making ISI financially self-sustaining. According to several protesters, this could threaten its bachelor’s degree programmes, which have long supported students from less privileged backgrounds.

They also flagged the short window for public feedback, open till November 3, calling the timeline “hasty and inadequate” for an issue of this scale.

Kunal Ghosh, a faculty member, said the movement is rooted in protecting the institute’s founding principles.

“Our protest is against the proposed repeal of the 1959 ISI Act, which established the institute as an autonomous body. This movement is not limited to Kolkata, but we are networking with other ISI centres across the country,” he said.

One faculty member alleged that the draft’s plan for a new Board of Governance would place excessive authority in the hands of the Centre.

“It will give the Centre more say in appointing ISI's director and even overriding academic decisions, seriously limiting ISI’s independence. We also heard of a move to shift the ISI headquarters from Kolkata to outside Bengal,” he said.

An ISI official countered the concerns about relocation, stating that there was no plan to move the headquarters. According to the official, the Centre aims to streamline academic activity to help ISI maintain high standards.

The protest also drew political attention. TMC MP Saugata Roy attended the demonstration and expressed solidarity with the participants. Some students held placards asking him not to implement the National Education Policy in West Bengal.

Roy responded that avoiding it completely would not be possible and added that the state was implementing its own education policy.