HCU: FEDCUTA demands judicial inquiry into police 'crackdown'

Representatives of pan-India teachers Associations today demanded removal of Hyderabad Central University's Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao and a judicial inquiry into the recent police "crackdown" on students and teachers on the varsity campus.
The Federation of Central Universities Teachers' Association (FEDCUTA) termed the police crackdown as "premeditated" to inflict violence.
The recent bone of contention was the Vice-Chancellor, who was on leave following the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, joining the office last week. This was met with strong resistance from the students.
A group of students, who were opposing Prof Appa Rao Podile's return as the VC after a two-month leave following the row over Vemula's suicide in a university hostel room, had allegedly vandalised his residence and pelted stones on police on March 22.

Later, police resorted to lathicharge and arrested 25 of them, beside two faculty members. All of them were lodged in Cherlapally central prison here.
Putting out a list of demands, Nandita Narain, the President of FEDCUTA, said the charges against the students and the faculty should be dropped and efforts made to restore normalcy on the university campus.

"We demand that Prof Appa Rao be immediately removed from the post and a judicial inquiry be instituted into the barbaric crackdown on students and teachers of the HCU.
"There should be strict action against those accused of abetting the suicide of Rohith Vemula. Also, a Rohith Act should be legislated to prevent caste discrimination in educational institutions," Narain added.

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"The authorities allowing RAF and CRPF forces to crackdown on the students, strike fear in the minds of the students. The administrative decision to shut water supply, messes electricity and internet in the campus, and resulting prison like situation leading to near-starvation conditions of thousands of students can only be classified as war crimes.
"The VC's Machiavellian ploy is to fan further unrest among students who have been demanding Rao's removal and justice for Rohith Vemula. This is a larger part of a conspiracy to lay siege on the University and crush the democratic movement of its students and teachers," Narain said.

The FEDCUTA also demanded a "dialogue" between the administration and students.
She also accused the Centre of acting under the pressure of World Trade Organisation (WTO) and attempting to privatise education.
Ajay Patnaik, Secretary of the FEDCUTA claimed that the probe ordered by the Ministry of Human Resources Development had found Appa Rao "guilty".
"The Vice Chancellors are supposed to protect the autonomy, strengthen the institution and not succumb to political pressure. He has failed in doing so and has no right to be in the post," Patnaik said.
Targeting the government, Patnaik said the students and teachers are being repressed.

"Universities cannot be mere spectators to this," he said.