Hyderabad University in a belated response to the crisis on the campus has revoked the suspension of four Dalit scholars- Sunkanna, Seshaiah, Vijay and Prashant. The union HRD ministry seems to have developed cold feet as the HCU movement is snowballing into a national movement. It instructed the HCU to revoke the suspension of students, the first demand of the joint action committee for social justice , AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi, Dehi chief minister Kejriwal, CPM’s Sitaram Yechuri, Trinamool, BSP etc.
The decision was taken by Executive Council of the Universiy, which earlier recommended the suspension at the behest of union HRD ministry. Now it is a well known fact that it was the pressure the HRD ministry exerted on the University, repeatedly citing the letter written by union labor minister and Hyderabad MP Bandaru Dattatreya, led to the crisis on the campus.
The decision to revoke the suspension was taken following widespread condemnation of HRD minister Smriti Irani’s poor defence of her involvement in the precipitation of the crisis on campus. The letter written by Dattatreya clearly shows the anti-dalit stance of the labor minister and pressure put up by the HRD ministry is indicative of Ministry’s attitude towards the resurgence dalit ideology on the campuses.
Yesterday’s Smriti irani’s press conference, in which she dragged the name of City’s RS MP V Hanumantha Rao’s letter, had sparked global protest. Even the French South Asian Scholar Christophe Jaffrelot appealed to the world intellectuals to oppose the gagging of alternative voice in India. Added to this was Delhi chief minister Kejriwal visit to campus today. So, the HRD ministry had to direct its cheer leaders in the executive council to rescind the suspension,though belatedly.
The executive council,earlier, had suspended five students. Had it displayed the same wisdom a week ago a brilliant young man would have remained among us.
Earlier in the day, the Controller of Examinations Professor V Krishna and Chief Warden Dr G Nagaraju of the University of Hyderabad have resigned from their administrative posts in protest against Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani’s statement that the action against students was taken by the executive committee.
More than 10 SC/ST teachers of the University yesterday resigned from their ‘administrative roles’ protesting against Irani’s remarks in Delhi that Dalit faculty members were also part of the University’s probe that eventually led to the expulsion of research scholar Rohith Vemula and four others.
AICC spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted , “Had this decision been taken before 17th January, Rohith Vemula would have been alive today: “UoH’s belated decision to revoke suspension of 4 dalit scholars proves guilt, complicity&collusion of BJP-ABVP activists” he said.
