HYDERABAD: Protests rocked on University of Hyderabad campus on Tuesday as police did not allow the Shahadat Din (martyrdom day) programme initially planned at ‘Velivada’ (Dalit ghetto) and was then shifted to the campus premises on the eve of the first death anniversary of research scholar Rohith Vemula.
While the students we-re not allowed to come out of the campus, outsiders who reached the varsity to participate in and express solidarity with the programme were not allowed entry by the police, citing High Court orders. Police erected barricades to stop outsiders from entering the campus. There was pushing and jostling between po-lice and protestors, leading to tension for a while.
Activists of Aam Admi Party (AAP), Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA), Students Islamic Organisation (SIO), Osmania University Joint Action Committee and other student groups were among those who gathered at the main gate.
When protestors tried to defy the ban orders and enter the campus to pay tributes to Rohith, they were whisked away in police vans. Finally the Joint Action Commi-ttee for Social Justice, a group of different student bodies demanding justice for Rohith, conducted the programme at the main entrance gate of the varsity. Student leader Venka-tesh Chouhan was highly critical of the university administration for foiling their remembrance programme.
“The actions of the VC are undemocratic. At his instructions, police did not allow us to hold the programme as plan-ned earlier,” he fumed. Meanwhile, the university authorities imposed restrictions on the entry of outsiders into the campus and security was tightened at the ma-in gate since morning.
Instructions were given not to allow media persons, politicians and activists to enter the campus. Students and employees were allowed only after they produced their identity cards. However, students gather-ed at Velivada with Rohith’s pictures as well as placards and banners demanding the arrest of vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile and justice for the Rohith’s family.
Later, they held a march until the main gate shouting slogans against the administration and the central government.
Radhika says Centre denying justice to son
Radhika Vemula, mot-her of Rohith Vemula, has criticised the Central government, alle-ging that it is protecting all those who were responsible for her son’s suicide.
The taunts even went to the extent of declaring Rohith a BC, she said. Addressing the students’ gathering that assembled at the Univ-ersity of Hyderabad entrance gate on Tues-day evening, Ms Rad-hika said she was humiliated in the name of ‘enquiry’. “To save its own party leaders, BJP diluted the whole case. The Centre is yet to learn its lesson,”she said.
Rohith’s mom and brother detained
Radhika Vemula, mother of Rohith, was detai-ned along with his br-other Raja Vemula by Cyberabad Police, wh-en they came to the Un-iversity to participate in Rohith’s Shahadat Din programme. Scores of other students were also detained.
Meanwhile Gadchibowli Police also registered a case against Frontline TS & AP Cor-respondent Kunal Shankar under charges of ‘house-trespass’ (448 IPC) and ‘Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant’ (188 IPC) for viol-ating high court orders after a complaint from the University security officer Mr TV Rao.
Cyberabad Commissioner Sandeep Shandilya said that they had booked a case against the journalist on cognizance for violating the court orders. Police also detained scores of students and activists from student unions and other political parties who came to the university in support of the protest. They were shifted to
Gadchibowli Police station and let off later. Police, however, said that only nineteen persons including three students were detained.
