HYDERABAD: The Press Council of India, which had taken suo motu cognisance of the arrest of journalist Kunal Shanker from University of Hyderabad (UoH) campus on the ocassion of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s death anniversary, on Wednesday sought a detailed response from the UoH administration and Cyberabad police commissioner Sandeep Shandiliya within four weeks.
An FIR was filed against the journalist for trespassing. UoH had lodged a complaint with Gachibowli police stating that the journalist had entered the campus illegally when the f entry of media on campus had been banned. The journalist argued that he had come the previous evening as a ‘guest’ of one of the faculty members after submitting his driving licence at the gate. He added that he was covering a students’ rally when he was in the campus.
The PCI chairman Justice CK Prasad, questioned the UoH why it had banned entry of journalists inside the campus. The UoH administration reiterated that their media policy required journalists to seek permission to enter the campus or cover any event. Professor BP Sanjay, pro vice-chancellor who represented the varsity also made note of a HC directive that prevents conduct of any event by outsiders inside campus. Justice Prasad directed Professor Sanjay to submit the writ petition that led HC to give such a direction.
However, the inquiry committee held that the UoH had misread the HC order. Anupama Potluri, assistant professor, school of computer and information sciences, has been issued a show cause notice for having invited the scribe to her campus residence.