HCU Suicide: UoH interim V-C booed away from protest site

Hyderabad: The unwise decision of the interim vice-chancellor, Vipin Srivastava to visit the protest site created tension in the UoH as students started shouting slogans.  Police and security personnel took the V-C away.

A few hours before that, the protesters had marched towards the official quarters of Mr Srivastava.

The V-C arrived at the spot when it was lunch break and few students were present at the protest site. He walked towards the stage, where a student and Meena Kandaswami were sitting on hunger strike.

When he attempted to speak to them, other agitators started shouting ‘VC go back’ till he left. Tension mounted when a minor scuffle broke out between students and security officials during the chaos.

Responding, Mr Srivastava said that his intention was to amicably settle the matter and resume classes.

He said that the protest will ruin students career. Asked about the content of the new MHRD report, which held the university administration responsible for the death and unrest in UoH, he said he had not seen the report.

“The university administration never acted on the orders of the BJP. We were acting independently on the power entrusted with us,” he said, talking about the suspension.

Meanwhile, the JAC called Mr Srivastava a murderer, who engineered the killing of two Dalit students.

“He was behind the institutional murder of Dalit PhD student Senthil Kumar in 2008. Now, he is the one who suspended Rohith and others. We will continue our protest till he steps down,” said JAC member Arpita.

Earlier, tension prevailed in front of UoH campus with students holding a road-block on Old Mumbai highway demanding the suspension of the V-C and interim V-C over the suicide Rohith Vemula.

Hundreds of students gathered on the highway and blocked the road demanding justice. Gachibowli inspector, J. Ramesh and his team persuaded the protesters and sent them inside the campus.

As it was peak hour, a huge traffic jam occurred from Kondapur village to Serilingampally MRO office. The students’ JAC burnt effigies of V-C Appa Rao and Union minister Smriti Irani.

The student’s union also demanded that the EC intervene and remove the interim V-C.

Protesters force closure of UoH reading room; ABVP alleges abuse
Protesters closed down the UoH reading room on Wednesday, a day after it was opened. Students vacated the room after JAC members asked them to close it down.

A student wanting to remain anonymous associated with ABVP alleged that the protesters abused them and vacated the room. However, JAC members said that they asked the students only to cooperate with them.

ABVP students demanded that the varsity should resume and open the reading room and library.

The protesters said that they closed down the room because the JAC had called a bandh. “Yesterday the reading room was opened. We did not do anything. But today we had given a bandh call, so we requested students to cooperate with us,” said a JAC member.

“We understand the students concerns. But we need to continue the struggle till our demands are met,” he added. The reading room is likely to be opened from Thursday.

Meanwhile, it was reported that a few people inside the room were outside students and alumni, who use the facility to prepare for exams, when the agitators came to close it.