PTI
NEW DELHI, JANUARY 21
Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday accused Union HRD minister Smriti Irani of “misleading” the nation over the alleged suicide of a Dalit research scholar and demanded the immediate “imprisonment” of labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya, an accused in the case.
Irani has made a “mockery” of the deceased student’s pain by putting forth “false arguments”, party leader Sanjay Singh said and chided the minister for displaying “mentality of BJP and RSS”.
Singh said that contrary to Irani’s claims, no Dalit professor headed the committee, formed by the Executive Council of Hyderabad Central University, that had upheld the decision to expel the five students, including Rohith Vemulu, the deceased.
“It was headed by Vipin Srivastava and not anyone belonging to the Dalit community. By stating lies she is making a mockery of Rohith’s pain,” Singh told reporters.
“They (the students) were expelled from hostel, banned from entering shared spaces inside the university premises based on orders from the top. A discriminatory ambience was created across the campus,” Singh said.
The AAP leader contended that Dattatreya’s intervention had more to do with his “anti-Dalit sentiment”. “He should be arrested and jailed immediately,” Singh said.
Yesterday, Irani had said it was the Executive Council of the University that approved the expulsion of the students and an Executive Sub-Committee, which included a senior Dalit faculty member, upheld the punishment.
She had also referred to the presence of a number of Dalit officials including the hostel warden, who communicated the decision to keep them out of the hostel, to counter the charge of any anti-Dalit bias in the matter.
University of Hyderabad revokes suspension of 4 Dalit students
HYDERABAD: The executive council of the University of Hyderabad on Thursday revoked the suspension of four dalit PhD scholars who had been expelled, along with Rohith Vemula, in December last year.
The students - Sontha Prasanth, Pepapudi Vijay Kumar, Sheshaiah Chemudugunta and Velpula Sunkanna —though allowed to attend classes, were barred from entering the hostel, library, mess and other common areas within the university premises post the December order. Their suspension was a result of a complaint filed by ABVP student leader Susheel Kumar who had accused these scholars and Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA) members of assaulting him.
In a note released on Thursday, hours after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the campus and demanded that Union HRD minister Smriti Irani apologize to the entire nation for issuing false statements in the Vemula case, the EC said: “The council after taking into account the extraordinary situation prevailing in the university, and after discussing the issue in detail, has resolved to terminate the punishment imposed on the students concerned with immediate effect”.
Predictably, the announcement brought much cheer to protesting students who have been demanding that the university revoke the suspension of these students, since the day Vemula committed suicide in a hostel room. They, however, vowed to continue their agitation unless the Centre agreed to meet their other demands that include the expulsion of university vice-chancellor, Appa Rao Podile.
Meanwhile, Appa Rao, though steering clear of the university campus, appealed to students to maintain calm and harmony on the central varsity premises under the extraordinary circumstances prevailing on the campus and repose faith in the internal mechanisms to resolve the issue.
He also fervently urged all in the university to contribute to resuming regular class work, research activities and administrative work without further delay. He called upon all teachers, students, officers and supporting staff to rise to the occasion.
