Fresh protests rock Hyderabad university
Lucknow: Breaking his silence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday voiced his grief over the suicide of a dalit scholar in Hyderabad University even as some students raised slogans during his speech at a convocation ceremony. “…When there is news that a youth of my country, Rohith, was compelled to commit suicide, what his family must have gone through. Mother India has lost a son. There will be reasons, there will be politics (surrounding it) but the fact remains that a mother has lost her son. I feel the pain very well,” a visibly emotional Modi said.
He was speaking as the Chief Guest at the convocation ceremony of the B R Ambedkar University here, which was marred by protest by two students, who were evicted by police as they shouted slogans like “Modi murdabad” and “Modi go back, Modi go back”.
The suicide by Rohith Vemula, a dalit scholar of the Hyderabad Central University, has kicked up a major row with Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya coming under intense attack from political rivals, who have blamed them for the incident and demanded their removal.
Two students, who were donning blue stoll, meant for Masters degree scholars, were detained after they shouted slogans as the Prime Minister took to the podium. University Proctor Kamal Jaiswal said, “we were taken aback. We had taken all precautions. Action will be taken as per rules.” However, Modi did not go into the politics behind Rohith’s suicide.
Protests escalated on Friday at the Hyderabad Central University campus with students demanding “unconditional” revocation of suspension of four dalit scholars and immediate action against those responsible for the alleged suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula.
In no mood to accede to the appeal of the Vice Chancellor to return to classes and restore normalcy, the students said the revocation of suspension of four dalit scholars announced yesterday was not “unconditional”, as per the circular issued by the university. “We reject the conditions stipulated on it,” student leader Zuhail told reporters here, accusing the university of “mocking” at them.
“One of our beloved friend was institutionally murdered. We are fighting for justice, still the University of Hyderabad feels that this is an extraordinary situation. Are they still mocking us. We can’t even understand the language you are using…if the extraordinary situation goes away, will it (extraordinary situation) come back,” Zuhail said. Seeking an end to the impasse, teachers today urged Vice Chancellor Prof Appa Rao Podile to initiate a dialogue with students and teachers. “The unanimous decision is that we are all teachers here. App Rao is also a teacher. He was also president of University of Hyderabad Teachers Association. He can understand the problems. So let him come and address the faculty, listen to them.
That is what everybody unanimously decided,” the association’s former president K Lakshminarayana said after a meeting of teachers. He said the VC should also go to the agitating students and talk to them to see that normalcy is restored on the campus. “Secondly, most of the people are also saying that he should listen to the students, because students are the victims. Unless you talk to the victims, solution cannot be found. It is not created by the teachers. It is created by the administration. On behalf of the administration, VC should go to the site of protest. We are all there. Students are not violent.
There is no evidence to show that,” he said. He said the decision taken at today’s meeting has been communicated to the VC. 15 dalit (SC/ST) faculty members and officers have given up administrative positions in solidarity with the agitating students, according to Sudharkar Babu, convenor of SC/ST Teachers Forum. Eighteen of about 50 SC/ST faculty members and officers working in the varsity are assigned administrative positions, he said. (PTI)