Tata Institute of Fundamental Research says notice about ‘anti-government’ posts was misinterpreted
No new restrictions have been imposed on the staff and their family members, the Mumbai-based institution clarified.
Three days after asking its employees and their family members not to upload any “anti-government content” on social media, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research on Saturday said that the wording of the notice had created “a great deal of misinterpretation”, PTI reported.
“No new restrictions on family members and visitors of staff members are being imposed or are intended to be imposed,” the Mumbai-based institute said in a note on Saturday.
In a notice issued on April 13, the institute’s Registrar George Antony wrote that central agencies and the Department of Atomic Energy had noticed that “certain disgruntled employees” were sharing “anti-government content” on social media.
“Staff members are further informed to desist from uploading any anti-government content over social media,” it said. ““Family members too should be appraised about the same.”
It also said that the staff and their families were uploading photos and videos of the Department of Atomic Energy offices and facilities on social media. The institute asked the employees and their family members to not share photos or videos of the institute, its centres, field stations, residential colonies “or any other government property”, as it could lead to “serious security consequences”.
On Saturday, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research said that photography has always been forbidden on the premises of the institute and that public criticism of the institution or the government has always required prior permission.
The institute clarified that the April 13 notice was not meant to impose any new rule, but to tell employees that these existing rules applied to social media, electronic media and print media.
“Unfortunately, the wording of the notice was such that it has become subject to a great deal of misinterpretation,” the clarification stated.
However, it did not address the section about “anti-government content”.
The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai is one of the top universities in the country dedicated to research in the natural sciences, computer science, biology and mathematics. It functions under the Union government’s Department of Atomic Energy. It was established in 1945, under Homi Bhabha, with support from Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.
