UoH peaceful; 2 protesters shifted to health centre

VC announces ex-gratia of 5 lakh to the family of Rohith; TPCC hands over another cheque for `5 lakh to Rohith’s mother; all India university bandh today

Hyderabad: After a storm, the University of Hyderabad remained largely peaceful on Tuesday, it being the Republic Day. The indefinite fast taken up the fresh batch of seven students entered into seventh day on Tuesday.

As the sugar levels of Mubasheer, an MA student, and Kiran Kumar Goud reached at alarming level, the university security officials shifted them to the health centre. Rest of the students continued their hunger strike and were joined by Dalit women activists. The women activists sat in for one-day hunger strike extending their solidarity with the agitating students.

The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice -UoH which met the student joint action committees across the country formed an all India Join Action Committee for Social Justice. The JAC has called for all India university strike on Wednesday demanding justice for Rohith and arrest of culprits booked under SC/ST Atrocities and Abetment to suicide.

The JAC demanded that Union Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Irani be sacked from the post immediately. The students demanded that Thorat Committee report which guards against discrimination being meted out to students from marginalised communities be implemented.

Meanwhile, acting Vice Chancellor Prof Vipin Srivastava unfurled the national flag in the university and appealed to the students to restore normalcy on the campus. The university, he said, as per the demands of the students, had withdrawn punishment imposed on four expelled Dalit research scholars. It also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the family of Rohith Vemula.

The Vice Chancellor stated that they did not file any case in the court and no complaint was filed against any student. “Due to continued blockade of both academic and administrative facilities, the university activities have come to a standstill. This will have an impact on completion of courses on time, which will affect the employment and higher education prospects of the students. Besides, disbursement of fellowships, scholarships and salaries is getting delayed in-ordinate,” he said.

Meanwhile, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President Uttam Kumar Reddy handed over Rs 5 lakh to Rohith’s mother Radhika. Speaking to the newspersons after meeting Rohith’s mother, Reddy demanded that those responsible for Rohith’s suicide be arrested and justice be done to the family members.