New Delhi: A delegation of the Janata Dal (United), led by K.C. Tyagi, will visit the Hyderabad University today to express solidarity with the students, who have been protesting post the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula.
Highlighting that seven students had earlier committed suicide in the Hyderabad University, Tyagi told ANI that the varsity has now become an organisation of anti-Dalit mindset.
“Our sympathy is with all those who are concerned with the matter,” he added.
“A delegation of the Janata Dal (United) will visit the university in which I and Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Verma will be there,” Tyagi said.
Tyagi alleged that Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya supported the ABVP and Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani influenced Vice Chancellor Appa Rao to take action against the students’ affiliated to the Ambedkar Students’ Union.
The HRD Minister in a clear reference to political rivals yesterday said that ‘malicious attempts are being made to make the incident a ‘Dalit v/s non-Dalit’ issue to ignite passions’.
Irani evaded a query whether she agreed with Cabinet colleague Bandaru Dattatreya’s view calling Ambedkar Students’ Association ‘anti-national’.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, YSR Congress Party leader Jagan Mohan Reddy and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O’Brien had already visited the University of Hyderabad.
Rohith, a second-year research scholar of Science, Technology and Society Studies Department, and others were suspended from the hostel last year following allegations that they attacked ABVP leader Sushil Kumar after the screening of a controversial documentary ‘Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai’.
Earlier this month, five students were thrown out of the hostel after they accused the university authorities of denying them access to campus facilities, except their classrooms and workshops.
The 28-year-old victim from Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district was found hanging at the hostel room of one of his friends around 7:30p.m. on Sunday. (ANI)