Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the “conditions” for Dalit student Rohith Vemula’s suicide were created by Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya, the Hyderabad university vice-chancellor and the institute and demanded “strictest” punishment for those responsible for his death.
Addressing students at the varsity after speaking to the protesters, Gandhi also that said failure to ensure justice for the research scholar will be an “insult to him, to every student and teacher in this institute”.
Rahul Gandhi addresses students, says Rohit Vemula’s family should be paid compensation. He further seeks Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao’s removal. Upholding the demand of agitating students, Rahul Gandhi said, “The family of Rohith Vemula be “compensated” while the “people responsible for Rohith’s death be subjected to strict punishment”.
The Congress politician also spoke about how students should be able to express themselves freely in a university atmosphere. “The idea of a university is knowledge. When you try and impose only one certain kind of idea on all students, you harm the passion that various students possess,” the Congress vice-president said.
The protestors demanded that the minister resign immediately.
“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) VB Kamalasan Reddy said. They were later let off.
On the university campus, scores of students, who intensified their protests, demanded that Dattatreya, BJP MLC Ramchander Rao, university’s vice chancellor P Appa Rao and two ABVP leaders, against whom cases were registered for abetting suicide of Rohit, be jailed.
Raising slogans like “We want justice”, they held Dattatreya and others responsible for Rohit’s death and took out a rally on the campus.
Research scholar Rohit Vemula, who allegedly committed suicide in a room on the campus of the University of Hyderabad, had in a letter purportedly written
by him said he was not getting his fellowship for past seven months. “If you, who is reading this letter can do anything for me, I have to get 7 months of my fellowship, one lakh and seventy five thousand rupees. Please see to it that my family is paid that. I have to give some 40 thousand to Ramji. He never asked them back. But please pay that to him from that (sic),” Rohit purportedly wrote in the letter.
