DC Correspondent
Hyderabad: Dr Vipin Srivastava took charge as the interim VC of UoH on Monday amid protests. Two non-Dalit professors resigned protesting against his appointment on Monday and to express solidarity with the students.
Prof. Potluri Anupama resigned from three administrative positions in the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment, Study in
India Programme and the E-Governance Empowered Committee.
The other faculty member, Prof. Sawmya Dechamma, resigned from the Security Committee and from the Board of Studies for Urdu. SC/ST Faculty Forum members too came out against the appointment of Dr Srivastava as Vice Chancellor.
In a statement the Forum told Dr Srivastava, “We once again emphatically state that we are shocked at you taking over as VC of UoH. You have not only been implicated in the suicide of Dalit student Senthil Kumar in 2008 but is also connected to Rohith Vemula’s death as you had headed the Executive Council Sub Committee responsible for punishing Dalit students".
"Since you are implicated in the expulsion of five dalit students and the suicide of Rohith Vemula your presence as VC is legally untenable when the judicial probe is on. Taking cognisance of your involvement we demand that you step down from the VC’s office immediately.”
Earlier 13 Dalit faculty members had resigned from their administrative positions expressing solidarity with the protesting students and demanded the resignation of the VC, Prof. Appa Rao Podile who is now on indefinite leave for personal reasons.
HCU suicide: HC told of suspension withdrawal
The UoH has informed the HC on Monday that it had withdrawn the suspension of four research scholars.
Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar was dealing with the two petitions filed by research scholars D. Prashanth, Rohit Vemula, P. Vijaya Kumar and C. Seshiah who were suspended after a scuffle with N. Susheel Kumar, another research scholar, challenging their suspension and Ms Vinaya Kumar, the mother of Susheel Kumar, seeking to declare the inaction of authorities in providing security to students like her son as illegal.
The UoH counsel said that the varsity has revoked the suspension of the research scholars.
Senior counsel Bojja Tarakam, who appeared for the research scholars told the court that they not received any order regarding this. Asking the UoH to serve a copy of the order to the petitioners, the judge posted both the cases to Feb.
12 asked the counsels of both the parties to inform the court by Feb. 12 whether any cause of action survives in the petition in view of the death of Rohit Vemula and the statement made by the varsity revoking the suspension.
The judge asked Mr H. Venugopal, counsel for the TS home department, about the probe into the complaint lodged by Susheel Kumar against the attackers and also if there is any development in the case since the date of the counter affidavit filed by the Cyberabad police commissioner.
The counsel said that he will file an additional affidavit explaining the progress and subsequent developments in the case and urged the judge to grant time to file the affidavit. The judge posted both the cases to Feb. 12.
