HCU suicide: 'Smriti spoke one lie after another,' says Kejriwal at univ campus

Hyderabad: Backing the agitating students of Hyderabad university, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday called the suicide of the dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula at the premier institute a "national shame" and accused the Centre of trying to indulge in "casteist politics".

Coming out all guns blazing against HRD Minister Smriti Irani, AAP leader while addressing the agitating students here said her statement on Wednesday about Rohith Vemula's death as well as subsequent agitation by university's students was a clear attempt to make it a caste issue for which she must apologise.

"Rohith was a very bright student. He was Dalit but he did not come from reserved quota, he came on merit. When such bright students have to commit suicide, I think it is a shame on the entire nation and society," he said.

Demanding immediate sacking of the university's Vice Chancellor, Kejriwal said Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya's letter to HRD Msinister Smriti Irani seeking action against Ambedkar Students Association was an example of coming to judgement before enquiring about the issue.

"It is shameful that a responsible minister without inquiring into the facts has already concluded that Ambedkar Students Association is casteist. He mentioned three words about the students -- anti-national, casteist and extremist," said Kejriwal.

He said the students were considered innocent till Dattatreya intervened.

Read: HCU suicide: 10 professors resign from administrative posts, slam Smriti Irani

Kejriwal said anyone who discusses Ambedkar's thoughts can never be casteist and anti-national, saying there can be "nothing more national than that".

Kejriwal accused Irani of misleading the country on the issue saying "attempts are being made to paint it as a caste issue. Irani must apologise for trying indulge in casteist politics."

He further said "her statement was disgraceful. She spoke lies after lies. She was even trying to create confusion over his (Rohith) caste."

Irani had on Wednesday alleged that a malicious attempt wasbeing made to project it as a "dalit versus non-dalit issue to ignite passions" for political gains and strongly refuted allegations of interference or putting pressure on university authority to take action against the dalit students.

Expressing solidarity with the students, Kejriwal said the whole country was with them and that whatever is needed will be done to ensure justice to them.

The Delhi Chief Minister said he offered to sit on a dharna to press for VC's sacking but the students have asked him not to do so as now the fight is to ensure justice to Vemula.

Earlier, Kejriwal had targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the suicide, demanding that he should sack the Union Minister accused in the matter and also apologise to the nation.

"Modi govt constitutionally duty bound to uplift dalits. Instead Modiji's ministers got five dalit students ostracised n suspended," he said in a tweet.

Read: HCU suicide: Prof had asked Rohith Vemula if ‘Dalit’ got him grant

Students have been sitting on an indefinite hunger strike from yesterday as a part of the ongoing agitations.

The two-member fact-finding committee sent by the Union HRD ministry to probe the suicide is learnt to have found fault with the university administration for its inept handling of the students’ suspension issue, which triggered unrest on the campus for the past four months.

Read: Hyderabad scholar death: Don’t instigate students, says Smriti Irani

The committee is expected to submit its report to the ministry by Saturday. Based on this report, the ministry is likely to sack Prof. Appa Rao Podile as vice-chancellor. Rao took over as VC only in September 2014 and if suspended he would become the VC with the shortest tenure at the UoH. His six-year term is set to end in 2020.

Read: Hyderabad scholar death: UoH failed to stem the rot, says probe team

The committee is said to have felt that there is strong resentment against Prof. Appa Rao among dalit students ever since his tenure as chief warden in the campus between 2001 and 2004. Prof. Appa Rao’s tenure as chief warden was also mired in controversy as he faced similar allegations of discriminating against Dalit students in hostels and messes, which led to suspension of a few Dalit students and violent incidents on the campus then.

Meanwhile, Appa Rao, in the eye of a storm, has reiterated that he will not quit the post in UoH, and rejected allegations that he is a BJP man. “I am not a party person. I have been appointed through a normal selection process involving 190 candidates and selected on the basis of merit,” he asserted, dismissing the charge that he was a nominee of a Union minister.

Read: Hyderabad scholar death: US NRI PhD threatens to end life

“It is only a coincidence that the VC’s selection happened during NDA period. As the head of the university, people think I am responsible for the suicide of the research scholar. The case was ongoing even before I took charge,” he said.