Ex-HC judge to probe Dalit student suicide, teachers on hunger strike

New Delhi/Hyderabad, January 28

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A former Allahabad High Court judge Ashok Kumar Roopanwal was appointed by the Central Government to probe circumstances leading to suicide of a Dalit scholar of Hyderabad Central University (HCU) as teachers of the institution also went on a hunger strike on Thursday to support the protest.

The appointment of the judge to head the one-man Judicial Commission was announced at a time when the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice spearheading the agitation over Rohith Vemula's suicide on January 17 said that students would intensify the "struggle" till all their demands are met.

Senior Union Human Resources Development (HRD) ministry officials said in Delhi that Justice (retd) Roopanwal would review the entire sequence of events, the circumstances and to establish facts and correctives in the context of the incident in a university.

The Commission has been asked to submit its report within 3 months, it is learnt.

Earlier, a Fact Finding Committee constituted by the HRD Ministry had submitted its report on the events in the University after which it was decided that Judicial Commission would be set up to look into the matter.

In Hyderabad, three teachers of the HCU sat on a one-day hunger strike demanding that Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile be removed and in-charge VC Vipin Srivastava step down, in order to resume academic and administrative activities.

The protest by teachers came a day after a second batch of students on an indefinite fast demanding justice for Vemula were shifted to hospital following concerns over their health condition.

A teacher from the Osmania University also joined the protesting teachers in the fast on HCU campus under the banner of SC/ST Teachers' Forum and other concerned teachers.

Earlier, a group of seven students had also been taken to hospital following their deteriorating health condition.

The agitating students refused to hold talks with Srivastava, who came to the protest site, on Wednesday.

They alleged that Srivastava was equally responsible for the "wrong affairs" and demanded that he step down from the responsibility of interim VC.

The demands of the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice include Podile's resignation, and also Srivastava's from the post of in-charge VC, "sacking" of HRD Minister Smriti Irani, employment to a family member of Rohith and Rs 50 lakh compensation to his family.

The selection of Srivastava as interim VC was earlier opposed by the students and SC/ST staff forums as they claimed he headed the Executive Council sub-committee whose decisions were "responsible for the death of Rohith" and that he was one of the accused in the death of another Dalit student in 2008.

Students of most universities in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana yesterday boycotted classes in solidarity with the agitators as they sought "justice" for Rohith.

Student suicide: Joint Parliamentary Committee likely to visit Hyd varsity

A parliamentary panel said on Thursday that they may send a team to Hyderabad Central University and IIT-Chennai to investigate complaints of discrimination against Dalit students as protests over the death of a research scholar in Hyderabad grows louder.

At a meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes chaired by BJP member Faggan Singh on Wednesday, members also objected to the absence of Secretaries of Petroleum department and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.

The Committee decided to approach Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to complain about secretaries allegedly "undermining" parliamentary panels, and asking for her approval to tour the two institutions.

The agenda of the meeting was to discuss issues related to implementation of the reservation policy in Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and organisations under the Petroleum Ministry.

However, since Secretaries of both departments did not attend due to “some prior engagements”, the panel could not take up the listed agenda. Resenting it, the members asked why did the Secretaries not attend the meeting even as the agenda was circulated in advance and there was an important issue to be discussed.

This came days after objections were raised in a meeting of another panel to the absence of Home Secretary, who was called by the Committee to give presentation on Chennai flash floods. Two Trinamool Congress members had even walked out from the panel meeting then.

"It is being noticed that Secretaries skip panel meetings on crucial occasions on one or the other pretext. This cannot be taken lightly. After all, a parliamentary panel is considered mini Parliament.

"Members raised strong objections to the absence of Petroleum and Telecom Secretaries from the meeting yesterday after which the Chair gave the assurance the issue with the Speaker and apprise her how the position of Parliamentary panels is being undermined by them," said a member of the Committee on the condition of anonymity. PTI