Even as the turmoil continues on the University of Hyderabad (UOH) campus for the 10th consecutive day over the suicide by Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, the stir is now threatening to take a national character.
The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice spearheading the protest on the UOH campus has called for a nationwide university strike on Wednesday to press the demand for punishing those responsible for driving Rohith to suicide. The JAC has appealed the students and the faculty of the Central and all the State universities across the country to observe a shutdown in solidarity with the struggle for justice for Rohith Vemula. A call of “MHRD Chalo” was also given on Wednesday in New Delhi in which the students form different universities will try to lay a siege to the ministry of Human Resources Development.
Students continue to protest even on Republic Day and groups of students held demonstrations at different places in Hyderabad. While one group held protest outside Telangana Secretariat demanding Government to take care of Rohith’s family. Another group from Osmania University tried to take out a peace march at People’s Plaza on Neckalace Road but the attempt was foiled as students were taken into custody by police.
Gathering of the slogan shouting students at the main entrance of Telangana secretariat caught the police by surprise. The policemen surrounded the agitators and took them into custody.
A third group tried to March form the UOH to Dr Ambedkar Statue in the heart of the city but the police prevented them from taking out the procession in view of the prohibitory orders.
The ire of the UOH students was now focused on the in charge Vice Chancellor Vipin Srivastava who has taken the place of vice chancellor P Appa Rao. While Appa Rao has gone on an indefinite leave, the students and the Dalit faculty members have also refused to accepted his replacement senior most professor Srivastava.
“We out rightly reject the appointment of yet another murderer as the in charge vice chancellor”, the JAS said in a statement condemning his appointment.
They hold Prof Srivastaga equally responsible for the suspension of Rohith Vemula and four other Dalit research scholars from the university hostel last month. The sub committee which decided to suspend the students was headed by Prof Srivastava, head of the department of physics.
The JAC say that Prof Srivastava was also responsible for another similar incident in his department in 2008.
SC ST Faculty Forum of the University of Hyderabad also demanded that Vipin Srivastava should step down from his position immediately. “Your presence as VC in the campus is legally untenable when the judicial probe is on”, a statement issued by the Forum said expressing shock that he had assumed the office in the prevailing circumstances. But Vipin Srivastava on his part denied any role in the suicide of another research scholar Senthil Kumar in 2008. “I was not teaching him but I was dean of the department of physics allegations were leveled against me. But the CID and the university committee enquired and found nothing against me”, he said.
Srivasatava appealed to the agitating students to end the siege so the normalcy could return and the academic and research work can resume.
Meanwhile Rohith’s father Mani Kumar told media in Vijaywada today that his son was not a coward to commit suicide. “It is not a case of suicide but some body murdered him and give it a color of suicide”, he said.
Mani Kumar who had separated from the family several years ago sudden appeared in the media first to claim that Rohith was not a Dalit but a backward class person. Today he made a new allegation suspecting a foul play in Rohith’s death. He also claimed that the suicide note found with the body was not written by his son. Mani Kumar said that he had divorced his wife V Radhika legally but was taking care of the family. But the other family members denied his statement saying he was never in touch with them.