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

The Centre on Thursday appointed former Allahabad high court judge Ashok Kumar Roopanwal to probe circumstances leading to the suicide of Dalit scholar at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) even as its teachers went on a hunger strike, backing students.

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, said that students would intensify the “struggle” till all their demands are met.

Senior officials of the HRD Ministry said Justice (retd) Roopanwal will review the entire sequence of events, the circumstances and establish facts and correctives in the context of the incident in the university.

The Commission has been asked to submit its report within three 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 probe into the matter.

In Hyderabad, three teachers of the HCU sat on a one-day hunger strike, demanding that vice-chancellor (VC) 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, was shifted to a hospital. A teacher from the Osmania University also joined the protesting teachers on HCU campus under the banner of SC/ST Teachers’ Forum. 

Meanwhile, later in the day, asection of students “agreed” for resumption of academic activities at the university. Srivastava said they are getting some “positive signals” from the student community as far as conducting classes are concerned and expressed hope that all classes may start from Saturday if students cooperate. He said the varsity administration has started functioning from morning itself.

In a press meet at Hyderabad Press Club, Srivastava said he has some “good news” amid the crisis.

Voicing concern over Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s, a Parliamentary panel has favoured sending a delegation to the institution and also IIT-Chennai, to look into complaints of injustice and discrimination against Dalit students. At a meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Welfare of SC and ST, chaired by BJP member Faggan Singh on Wednesday, members also raised objections over the absence of Secretaries of the Petroleum department and the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. The Committee decided to approach Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to complain about Secretaries allegedly “undermining” Parliamentary panels, besides seeking her nod for undertaking the tour to Hyderabad university and IIT-Chennai.