Radhika Vemula, mother of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, has alleged that the authorities of universities and political parties were hounding and killing Dalit students.
Radhika who was detained along with dozens of students by the Cyberabad City police on Tuesday night when she tried to barge into the University of Hyderabad campus to mark the first death anniversary of Rohith, was strongly critical of the way the Hyderabad varsity authorities clamped down on the protesters.
Referring to the circumstances in which Rohith had ganged himself last year Radhika told the gathering, "BJP and State Governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and the Hyderabad varsity authorities are trying to kill all the Dalit students who are pursuing their PG and PhD studies at universities so that there won't be any competition for higher caste kids. Otherwise why would they suspend Dalit students at lucknow, JNU, Hyderabad varsityIJ” asked Radhika.
High tension drama was witnessed at the main gates of the varsity as the students and activists of various organisations tried to break into the campus and hundreds of guards of the university and the policemen stopped them.
The protesters shouting slogans against the Central Government and the University Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile wanted to pay tributes to Rohith Vemula at a point of protest in the campus.
The drama went on late into the evening as the university authorities were determined not to allow any protest in memory of Rohith Vemula.