Hyderabad: Interim vice-chancellor of University of Hyderabad Dr Vipin Srivastava, on Thursday said that an agreement had been reached between the university administration and the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, the banner under which students have been protesting for the last 11 days after the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula.
Dr Srivastava said that the students had responded positively to the appeals made by him and agreed to let research activity continue. The administration has started functioning and normalcy will be achieved by Saturday when even classes will resume.
Speaking to the media he said that this semester will have to be extended before conducting exams by April keeping water shortage crisis in mind.
Asked about the allegations by students of casteism on the campus by faculty members, he said, “I do not accept the allegations. We are all conscientious teachers and have been along.”
Asked then why all the suicides in UoH in the past have been by Dalit students and one by a tribal student, he said, “It is a genuine and large issue which needs to be debated on the national level.
Each case has been investigated into and they are on record. No strictures have ben passed against anyone.”
Asked about the demands by students and SC/ST teachers’ forum that he step down from his position because during his tenure as dean of the physics department in 2008 a dalit research scholar, Senthil Kumar had committed suicide, he said that after the unfortunate incident many committees and even the CID had probed and did not find him guilty.
He said that neither was he teaching that batch nor did he have any student under him from that batch. He also said that he would urge the teachers who are on strike to get back to work.
When asked why Rohith's parents were not informed about his suspension from hostel, Executive Council member and School of Chemistry dean, Prof. Durga Prasad, said that they are not minors.
