Dalit scholar suicide: Rahul interacts with protesting students, meets victim's kin

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday interacted with the protesting students of the University of Hyderabad, where a Dalit scholar committed suicide.

"RG has reached Hyderabad & is interacting with students seeking justice for Rohith Vemula," the Indian National Congress (INC)'s twitted.

Rahul also interacted with parents of Rohith Vemula, who hanged himself to death on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the students of the University continued their protest in the varsity premises demanding action against Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya and ABVP leader Susheel Kumar.

The students of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) also began a one-day hunger strike here on Tuesday to express solidarity with their colleagues of the Hyderabad University.

Vemula, along with four other Dalit students, were allegedly expelled from hostel following a tussle with students affiliated with the student wing of the BJP, Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

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 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.