Students continue their protest in University of Hyderabad, demand VC's arrest

The students of the University of Hyderabad, where a Dalit scholar committed suicide after his expulsion, continued their protest in the varsity premises here on Tuesday demanding action against Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya and ABVP leader Susheel Kumar.

They raised slogans denouncing the VC and carried placards with messages such as 'Appa Rao murdabad', 'Rohit Vemula amar rahe' and 'Sushil Kumar hai hai'.

The agitators also demanded a compensation of Rs. 50 lacs for Vemula's family.

"Our demands are very clear. Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao and ABVP activist Sushil Kumar should be put behind bars. Appa Rao should be removed from the post of VC. Rohit Vemula's family member should be given employment and a compensation of Rs. 50 lacs should be given to his family," one of the protestors told ANI.

"We demand justice for Rohit Vemula. Action should be taken against those responsible for his suicide," said another student.

Hyderabad police had on Monday registered a case against Dattatreya and three others under the Scheduled Casts and Scheduled Tribes Act in connection with the suicide of Rohit Vemula, a research scholar of Hyderabad Central University.

The case was registered against Dattatreya following allegations that he wrote to the Union HRD Ministry seeking action against Rohit and four other research Scholars of the University for the alleged assault on an ABVP leader.

Irani yesterday flatly refused any intervention by the government in the Dalit scholar's suicide and said that a two-member team has been sent to the varsity from the ministry to take stock of the situation.

She asserted that she will not make any 'political' statement at the moment, since law and order was a subject of the state.