After Rohith suicide, UoH plans panel to nip discrimination

Hyderabad: The University of Hyderabad (UoH) will have an ombudsman and an anti-discrimination officer for the first time since its inception nearly four decades ago. A committee comprising an UGC official and vice-chancellors of two Central universities will finalise modalities for the new appointments.

A retired judge is likely to be appointed as ombudsman. The ombudsman will look after issues and incidents relating to violations and indiscipline and problems concerning the university.

The anti-discrimination officer will look into caste, religion and gender based complaints from students as well as faculty, UoH spokesperson Vipin Srivastava said.

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“We decided to appoint an anti-discrimination official in line with UGC regulations of 2012,” he added. This development assumes significance in view of the suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula citing caste discrimination within the varsity campus, in January.

Other important decisions taken in the 76th Academic Council meeting included finalisation of entrance examination schedule for admissions for the 2016-17 academic year.

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The online applications will be accepted from April 11 to May 10. Prof. Sripathi Ramudu of the SC/ST Teachers Forum stated that five professors — Nandini Sunder (from Delhi University), Sunitha Rani, Deepa Srinivas, Sujatha Patel and V. Krishna — have voiced their protest against the functioning of vice-chancellor Prof. Appa Rao Podile at the beginning of the meeting.

“All these faculty members cornered the V-C on ongoing probe into cases against him, plagiarism charges, allegations of discrimination towards SC/ST students and police action on March 22 in the campus.

Controller of Examinations Prof. V Krishna resigned from his administrative post in protest,” he said adding that few of them walked out of the meeting.