Dalit scholar's suicide: Two more faculty members of Hyderabad Univ. resign

Two more Hyderabad University faculty members have resigned from their administrative posts protesting against interim Vice Chancellor Vipin Srivastava, raising the number of resignations to 15.

Earlier, 13 faculty members - including Professor V. Krishna, controller of exams, Chief Medical Officer Dr Ravendra Kumar, 10 hostel wardens and chief warden Nagaraju - put in their papers from their respective posts in solidarity with the protesting students over the suicide of a Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula.

Earlier today, Vipin Srivastava said that only by going forward can the Rohith Vemula suicide issue reach a logical and acceptable conclusion.

"The only way we can move forward is through talks and for that I am reaching out to my faculty colleagues to help us talk with the students. I have appealed to my colleagues as the only way forward is dialogue, I am reaching out to colleagues. I will like to speak to them and seek their help and reaching out to the students," Srivastava told ANI here.

An indefinite fast launched by a fresh batch seven students over suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula continued in the Hyderabad Central University here for the second day even as agitators called for a ' Chalo HCU' protest march to press their demands.

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The stir resumed yesterday after the previous group of seven fasting students were shifted to the hospital on Saturday following deterioration in their health condition after three days of hunger strike.

The main demands include removal of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao.

Yesterday, the university put a notice on its website saying the Vice-Chancellor will be on leave and that Vipin Srivastava, the senior most Professor, shall perform the duties of the Vice-Chancellor. It did not mention the period of leave.

However, the SC/ST Faculty Forum and SC/ST Officers Forum expressed "shock" over the decision to appoint Srivastava as officiating Vice-Chancellor and alleged that he headed the Executive Council Sub-Committee "which has been responsible for the death of Rohith" and was one of the "accused" in the suicide of another Dalit student, Senthil, in 2008.