Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday demanded action against union HRD minister Smriti Irani, labor minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the vice-chancellor Apparao for creating conditions which forced Dalit research scholar Rohit Vemula to commit suicide. Expressing solidarity to the agitating students, the trio created enormous pressure on Rohit by their actions which resulted in the suicide of the research scholar. ” The man(VC)who is responsible for this outcome should go,” he said and added the union ministers also should be held responsible for this.
Defending the right to expression in universities, the Congress vice president said suppression of this right was not confined to this place alone, this was happening everywhere. He said the loss of a young man should be properly compensated to the family in every possible way financially, respect wise and employment.
Rahul who reached the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) campus around 12.30 afternoon spent about three hours with students and the family members of Rohit. He met Rohit’s mother Radhika and others and inquired about the problems Rohit faced from the administration of the University. He spent more than an hour with them and patiently heard the pathetic story Rahul face on the campus. He paid tributes to the departed soul by garlanding his portrait.
Later students of Joint action committee for social justice narrated the woes of dalit students on the university. They said about 10 students, all research scholars, committed suicide unable to face the social tension created by the forces opposed to the resurgence of dalits students on the campus. They said the University had become a dalit Ghetto. They named the area, where the agitation against the suspension of five research scholars is going on as Veliwada ( place of untouchables). The students presented a memorandum to the AICC presidents urging him to help them in securing justice to the dalit students and their right to express freely their opinions.
Rahul was critical of VC Apparao’s attitude to the death of Rohit. ” Whether it’s a suicide or death in an accident it is the moral responsibility of the Vice Chancellor as the head of the institution to meet the family members of the deceased and console them. This Vice Chancellor has failed in extending this small gesture of moral support to the family,” Rahul said.
He accused that one particular idea to the exclusion of other was being imposed. He said the the wide applause of the audience there was a need to bring about legislation that protects the right to express views and ideas freely in the universities.
Assuring the students that he would always be available to the students and the family members of Rohit to extend his cooperation. He would come to Hyderabad whenever he was asked.
Rahul said the idea of university should be knowledge which should be available to all irrespective of their social , religious and financial background. ” It was unfortunate that even so many decades after the independence we are not able to recognize the right of the other person to express freely,” he said. Later, he walked over to the then where students had been on fast for then days demanding the revocation of suspension order.
Earlier, ABVP worker tried to stop Rahul’s convoy at Begumpet Airport, the police, however foiled their attempt.
