Academics condemn TISS migration study for bias, flawed methods, and ethical violations

They term the study on “illegal immigrants” to Mumbai a “calculated act of political interference”.

People wait for a suburban local train at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in May 2024. The TISS study titled “Illegal Immigrants to Mumbai” makes sweeping claims about Muslim migrants in Mumbai, a city of 22 million people, and academics say that the data is riddled with inconsistencies. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

Over 500 academics, researchers, and public intellectuals have issued a sharp rebuke of a migration study by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), condemning it as “a deliberate attempt to polarise the electorate, vilify marginalised communities, and incite violence against migrants in Mumbai”. The statement, released on November 19, 2024, targets the study “Illegal Immigrants to Mumbai: Analysing Socio-economic and Political Consequences”.

The statement has drawn support from a broad coalition of prominent voices across academia, media, arts, and civil society. Among the over 500 signatories are renowned economists like Jayati Ghosh and political scientist Zoya Hasan. Journalists and writers including Geeta Seshu, Ziya Us Salam of The Hindu, and economist Ritu Dewan have endorsed the statement, which has got support from leading activists and public intellectuals such as Harsh Mander, human rights activist Cedric Prakash, and Henri Tiphagne of People’s Watch. Artists and cultural figures including filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, performer Danish Husain, and artist and curator Riyas Komu have joined the cause, alongside public health experts and social scientists like Sarojini N., sociologist Ravi Duggal, and former JNU professor Mohan Rao.

The signatories argue that the timing and presentation of the study’s findings reflect political motives rather than academic integrity. “The release of this incomplete and heavily biased interim report of an unethical “study”, coinciding strategically with Maharashtra Assembly elections, is not an academic exercise but a calculated act of political interference,” the statement declares. “Such conduct from academics is a betrayal of the foundational ethics of teaching and scholarship.”

The study’s authors are Shankar Das, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Dean of the School of Health Systems Studies at TISS, and Souvik Mondal, an assistant professor in the same school. They presented their findings during a seminar at TISS on November 5.

Inconsistencies in data

The methodological framework of the study has invited particular criticism. The study was based on just 300 respondents from a planned sample of 3,000. But the research makes sweeping claims about Muslim migrants in Mumbai, a city of 22 million people, say the academics. The statement identifies many inconsistencies in the data: “Within the limited sample of 300 based on place of last residence 182 are from West Bengal, 30 from Assam, 33 Bihar, 10 from Nepal, 20 from Bangladesh and so on. Then suddenly we are told that 97 per cent out of these are Muslims and illegal migrants. When 20 are from Bangladesh then how come 120 say that they wish to go back to Bangladesh?”

The academics challenge the study’s fundamental premises about migration and illegality. “We are deeply pained at having to point out to our fellow academics that Human Rights are universal, and no human beings are illegal,” the statement says. “The problem with this ‘study’ begins with the very premise with which the researchers began which is to study ‘illegal’ migrants. This negates that migration is a phenomenon that is attributable to multiple and complex factors.”

Questions about administrative procedure and ethical oversight have also emerged. The statement says: “Media reports have suggested that the lead researchers in this ‘study’ did not have necessary approvals of board of research and ethical bodies in TISS and failed to follow administrative procedure in reporting the submission of the ‘study’ proposal and funding received.” The signatories demand public disclosure of the study’s funding sources and supporting organisations.

The statement criticises the study’s statistical analysis and presentation as flawed: “It uses highly inappropriate and inconsistent data visualisation. Complex issues like migration trends are represented through simplistic bar graphs and tables without meaningful contextualisation. Several graphs lack error margins or confidence intervals, which are critical for showing projection reliability. Diagrams like the ‘Vicious Cycle of Crime’ rely on anecdotal assumptions rather than data-driven relationships.”

The academics argue that the study’s conclusions appear predetermined rather than derived from research. “It appears that the conclusions of this study were made before the sample was drawn,” they write. “Otherwise as academics we see that there is no way the lack of methodological and conceptual clarity can be justified nor can the numbers and proportions claimed in this study be claimed as representing the real world.”

Concerns over academic integrity

The controversy surrounding one of India’s most prestigious institutions highlights broader concerns about academic integrity in politically charged environments. “By reducing their role in knowledge production to being tools of divisive ideologies, the academics associated with this ‘study’ have brought shame to the teachers and academics,” the statement asserts. The signatories warn that such research could have real-world consequences for vulnerable populations: “It moves beyond academic negligence into the realm of incitement to violence against minorities and poor migrants, contributing to an atmosphere of hostility that places real lives at risk.”

The statement concludes with a call for institutional accountability and ethical scholarship: “This report is not merely flawed; it is a deeply harmful document that seeks to provide pseudo-academic legitimacy to ideologies of exclusion and hate. Its release underlines the urgent need for accountability in academic spaces.” The signatories demand that institutions associated with the report distance themselves from its findings and launch a thorough investigation into its ethical violations.

The controversy underscores ongoing debates about the relationship between academic research and political discourse, particularly concerning sensitive issues like migration and religious demographics. The signatories say that at its core, academic research must prioritise ethical integrity and avoid causing harm to the communities it studies.

Frontline has been trying to get a response from the authors of the study and will update the report once we receive that.