HRD Minister Smriti Irani on Friday spoke to mother of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who committed suicide at Hyderabad Central University early this week. Irani while speaking to victim's mother assured her that justice will be done on the basis of a judicial inquiry. Besides the HRD Ministry, based on the report by a fact-finding team, has decided to set up a Judicial Commission to look into the sequence of events leading to Rohith's suicide.
Irani sought to reach out to the family of the deceased student by speaking to Rohith's mother over phone and assured her that justice will be done on the basis of a judicial inquiry. Irani in a Press conference earlier this week had claimed that she had conveyed her condolences to the family and regretted the incident.
While the Judicial Commission will submit its report within three months, a Ministry official said that in order to prevent such incidents future, all VCs and senior administrators would be sensitised to reach out to students and there will be "zero tolerance" for any acts of discrimination on campus.
"The fact finding committee constituted by HRD Ministry in the wake of the chain of unfortunate events at the Central University Hyderabad submitted its report to the Ministry on January 22, 2016. Based on its observations and findings, the Ministry has decided to constitute a Judicial Commission to review the entire sequence of events and the circumstances and to establish the facts and correctives in the context of the University," said a HRD Ministry statement.
In order to address the issues faced by the students from disadvantaged social economic and education background in higher educational institutions "comprehensively" and to prevent such unfortunate incidents in future, the Ministry has also chalked out a series of measures. The Ministry has decided to set up a special mechanism for receiving and taking expeditious action on the grievances from these students.
All VCs and senior administrators would be sensitised to reach out to such students and there will be "zero tolerance" for any acts of discrimination on campus. "A special charter will be issued to all the higher educational institutions in this regard," the statement said. The Ministry said that Peer group assisted learning (PAl) of IIT Gandhinagar would be extended to all the HEIs.
Under this, mentors would be arranged for the socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged students not only to assist them in education but to support them to face challenges.