Hyderabad varsity's interim VC too goes on leave

Amid continuing protests by students of University of Hyderabad over the suicide of a Dalit research scholar, interim Vice Chancellor Vipin Srivastava has gone on leave.

Barely a week after Vice Chancellor P. Appa Rao proceeded on indefinite leave in the wake of students' demand for his resignation, senior most professor Vipin Srivastava, who had taken over as the interim vice chancellor, has also gone on leave.

According to information available late on Friday night, the next seniormost professor, A M. Periasamy, will perform the duties of the vice chancellor of the university till further orders.

Appa Rao, whose name figures in the first information report, had gone on leave on January 24. However, the students had also refused to accept Srivastava as the interim vice chancellor as he had headed a sub-committee of the executive council which suspended five Dalit students following an alleged clash with a leader of ABVP.

Rohith Vemula, one of the suspended students, committed suicide on January 17, triggering protests across the country with students calling for action against the vice chancellor and others responsible for the suicide.