HYDERABAD: After more than a week of turmoil over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, academic activities resumed on Friday at the University of Hyderabad (UoH), even as protests by students in support of their demands, continued.
All the departments, schools and centres are open on Friday and classes were conducted in some of the departments.
Research labs started functioning.
However, the administration building still remains shut as the Joint Action Committee (JAC) for Social Justice continued their protest for the 13th day. Acting vice- chancellor of the university Prof. Vipin Srivastava, who tried to open the administration building on Friday morning was sent back by the JAC members who shouted slogans demanding VC Appa Rao’s resignation. Srivastava had to return without opening the administration building as the JAC members blocked its entrance and staged a dharna. They also insisted that Srivastava must step down from the acting VC post.
Meanwhile, Osmania University (OU) students, who extended support to the HCU JAC were detained by local police while protesting in front of the chief minister’s camp office in Begumpet. They were protesting against the CM’s silence over Rohith Vemula’s suicide. A group of OUJAC members were cleared from the CM’s Camp Office premises and were shifted to the police station.
The SC, ST Teachers Forum of the UoH continued its relay hunger strike on the 13th day. Three faculty members from the forum were on hunger strike on Friday. They announced that the protest will continue until their demands are addressed. Their demands include the resignation of Appa Rao from VC post and removal of Srivastava from the acting VC post.
Continuing its protest, the JAC for Social Justice is preparing for a mass hunger strike on Saturday, which is also the birthday of Rohith Vemula. Responding to its call for the hunger strike and a rally on the campus, several student organisations from universities across the country are going to join the mass hunger strike on Saturday.
The JAC has announced that students from various institutes like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Delhi, Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune will also participate in the mass hunger strike. Several political parties are also expected to join the protest.