Expelled HCU students take to the roads

Hyderabad: The five Dalit research scholars who were expelled from their hostel by the University of Hyderabad in December last year after a decision by the executive council are now staying at the university's shopping complex.

The students had not been evicted from their rooms and on Monday, the university forced them out of their hostels by locking up the doors of their hostel rooms.

S. Munna, one of the expelled scholars, said, “We have approached the HC against our expulsion from the hostel and the next date of hearing is on January 18. Why couldn’t the university wait for the court to give its ruling on the issue and then take a decision? Four of the scholars who have been expelled are children of agricultural labourers who cannot afford to stay outside by paying rent. One of them, Seshaiah Chemudugunta, is an orphan.”

The scholars allege pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party on the university to take action against the Dalit students who belong to the Ambedkar Students Association. They cited a letter, which Secunderabad MP Bandaru Dattatreya had written last year to Minister for HRD, Smriti Irani, seeking action for “changing the campus for the better”.

On August 4 last year Susheel Kumar of ABVP had posted a message, calling ASA students goons. He had alleged that around midnight more than 30 students belonging to ASA had beaten him up.

A Proctorial Board could not find any proof of that and decided to just give a strong warning, but later in the final report it blamed the ASA students for causing harm to Kumar and ordered suspension of the five ASA students.