While upholding the demand of agitating students, Rahul Gandhi insisted that the family of Rohith Vemula be “compensated” while the “people responsible for Rohith’s death be punished”.
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“He loved reading poetry, but he was also a man of action participating in agitations for Dalit students and an avid rock climber”. The police recovered a suicide note.
“No one is responsible for… this act…”
No one has instigated me, whether by their acts or by their words to this act.
The demonstrations in Hyderabad drew nationwide attention.
“Please give us poison at the time of admission itself instead of humiliating us like this”, he had written in his letter. Eight students were detained overnight on Tuesday.
“Thirty seven of the protesters were taken into preventive custody when they held a dharna near the Union Minister’s house”, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) V B Kamalasan Reddy said.
“Attack on him is the effect of unchallenged growth of violent tendency on university campus aided by the failings of university”, Diwakar stated in his three-page letter to Dattatreya on August 10. “We have sent a two-member team from the ministry who will apprise us on what prompted the student to take the extreme step”. “(Union minister) Bandaru Dattatreya, Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, MLC Ramachandra Rao, and students Susheel Kumar and Rama Krishna have been named in the FIR”, said Gachibowli Inspector J Ramesh Kumar.
Officials concerned, however, defended the Ministry’s action, maintaining that the university was not directed to take action against any student.
The five ASA students had participated in a protest against the death penalty in July, just before convicted terrorist Yakub Memon was hanged.
“Met students of the Ambedkar Students Association, Hyderabad University”.
After a series of flip-flops, the five were suspended in September. On Tuesday the university vice-chancellor described Vemula as “bright student” and said they were saddened by the tragic incident. Apparently, after receiving the letter forwarded by the HRD Minister, the university authorities inquired afresh into the alleged beating of Kumar by the ASA boys. “I have no role in this episode”. Singh said: “It was a complaint against anti-national activities and fundamentalism in the campus”.
Even the brightest Dalit students struggle once they reach university, perhaps due to unfamiliarity with English or their struggles to fit into the wider student body. “In the social science departments, at least, there is some awareness of caste dynamics”. Every student, every university in the country has this problem. But in some, such as Hyderabad Central University, Dalit student groups have become more assertive. Media reports revealed that he had struggled to cope with classes in English and that he had found little support from faculty members. That he was born a Dalit lent a sharper edge to his identity as a research scholar pursuing his doctorate course on a Rs. 25,000 per-month stipend from the Hyderabad University. “At last, this is the only letter I am getting to write”, Rohith wrote.
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“Supply a nice rope to the rooms of all Dalit students”, Vemula had suggested. Hence, I request your highness to make preparations for the facility “EUTHANASIA” for students like me. You loved me very much.
