Dalit scholar suicide: Owaisi for strong action against Hyderabad University VC

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday condemned the Dalit scholar's suicide in the University of Hyderabad and said the incident indicated that campus politics is no more a place for the decent.

"The incident clearly shows that our universities campus is no more places of politics of the decent. I condemn this attitude and I hope that strong action that taken against vice chancellor. He (vice-chancellor) should realise that it is because of him that a youth was compelled to take his own life," he told ANI.

"This is the case which should shake the whole nation and people should realise what is happening in central universities campuses," he added.

One of the five dalit scholars, expelled from the University of Hyderabad 12 days ago, hanged himself to death on Sunday.

25-year-old Rohith Vemula, who belonged to Guntur district of Amravati, was doing his PhD in science technology and society studies for the past two years, before the scholar allegedly got involved in a tiff between two student groups in August last year.

The five researchers were supported by 10 other students' outfits on the campus including ASA, Students Federation of India, Dalit Students Union and National Students Association among others.

On Sunday, the students from each of the outfits had started relay hunger strike asking the university administration to take back the students all of whom hailed from backward socio-economic backgrounds.

The students protested against Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya.

The students demanded the revoking of the suspension of the five Dalit research scholars. They also demanded Dattatreya's apology for interfering in University matters and branding the students of University of Hyderabad as casteists, anti-nationals and extremists.