The Union minister of human resource development, Smriti Irani, wrote five letters to Hyderabad Central University (HCU) administration asking it to take immediate action on the letter written by Union minister of state for labour, Bandaru Dattatreya, last year.
On August 17, 2015, Dattatreya had written to the HRD Minister, alleging that, the university had become the centre of “casteist, extremist and anti-national” politics.
Not stopping there, he even referred to the “dominant students union”, the Ambedkar Students Association, holding protests against the hanging of Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon and an alleged assault on an ABVP activist.
On September 3rd, last year, the first MHRD email was sent to the university’s registrar with the subject, “Comments on VIP reference of Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, MoS for labour and employment”.
That letter requested the officer to examine the issues raised by the labor minister and facts be intimated so that a reply could be sent to the MoS. The letter by Dattatreya was attached with this mail.
On September 24th, another letter was written, which is more direct. It reads, “Anti-national activities in HCU Premises-Violent Attack on Sri Nandanam Susheel Kumar, PhD student and president of ABVP” and also said the university had not yet replied to the first letter.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi visited the campus yesterday, and expressed his condolences over Dalit student’s death and spoke that students should be given freedom to express their views. He countered several issues towards Centre and the issue went more viral, after his speech, with the students, increasing the force of the protests.
HCU student suicide: Writers returning awards
Adding to this, Noted writer Ashok Vajpeyi who earlier received Sahitya award from university, for his poetry collection, Kahin Nahin Wahin, returned back his award, expressing his protest over Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for maintaining mum on the issue.
“A dalit student, Rohith Vemula, who wanted to be a writer was driven to commit suicide due to anti-dalit and intolerance of dissent shown. I have decided to return the award in protest against university authorities, (who were) presumably acting under political pressure," Vajpeyi said.
The former Lalit Kala Akademi chairman, who was awarded D.Litt (Doctor of Letters, honoris causa) by the Central University of Hyderabad few years ago, said the institution has "acted against human dignity and knowledge."
HCU student, Rohit Vemula, who committed suicide on Sunday night, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by the University in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel.
Union Labour Minister Dattatreya, Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and three others were yesterday named in an FIR lodged with the Cyberabad police over the alleged suicide of the HCU student.
Vajpeyi was among the first to return his Sahitya Akademi award to the government criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking up against various incidents of violence against writers and activists.
Following Vajpayee, another 39 writers returned their awards protesting against the Akademi's alleged silence on the murder of fellow writer (Rohit wanted to be a writer) and Sahitya Akademi board member M M Kalburgi as well as against the growing "communal atmosphere" following the Dadri lynching incident.
By Phani Ch
