Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi arrived at a mass hunger strike protest by students of Hyderabad Central University, protesting the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who would have turned 27 today. Rohith Vemula’s mother, and students of FTII Pune have also joined the hunger strike.
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Rahul Gandhi had joined a candle light vigil by students of Hyderabad University.
Keen to resolve the impasse on the campus, he said representatives of the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, spearheading the stir, are expected to meet him “any time” and he wants to hold talks with them.
“Rahul Gandhi and responsibilities don’t go hand in hand”.
This is the Congress vice president’s second visit to Hyderabad since the Dalit scholar’s suicide as he had visited the university on January 19 and met agitating students and Rohith’s family members.
The HRD ministry on Thursday appointed former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Ashok Kumar Roopanwal to head the one-man judicial commission to probe the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula in Hyderabad.
“Why is Rahul Gandhi not in Chennai, where three girls’ committed suicide nearly a week ago”, he asked.
Patra said that it in fact was a classic example of how Rahul has been desperately trying to earn a few political brownie points to further his political career, which has not been taking off.
“Rohith left a suicide note expressing certain views”.
Barely a week after Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao proceeded on indefinite leave in the wake of students’ demand for his resignation, senior most professor Vipin Srivastava, who had taken over as interim vice chancellor, has also gone on leave.
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The HCU had in September previous year suspended five students D Prasanth, Vijay Kumar, Sheshaiah Chemuudugunta, Velpula Sunkanna and Rohit, for six months (entire semester) for allegedly assaulting ABVP leader Susheel Kumar in August.
