HYDERABAD: The two-member fact-finding committee which spoke to various sections of people at the University of Hyderabad on Rohith Vemula’s suicide case, is said to have given a clean chit to Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya while blaming the university management for the suicide of the Dalit scholar.
The panel has reportedly suggested re-examining events at the university starting from first week of August till Rohith’s suicide, by an appropriate body, pointed out gaps in communication between the university officials and the protesting students.
A two-member committee of the Union ministry of human resource development (MHRD), consisting of Surat Singh, deputy secretary, Shakila Shamsu, officer on special duty, visited the University of Hyderabad in January, when students were protesting for justice to Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide on January 17.
The panel, sources said, is understood to have said the management of the Hyderabad Central University had not taken immediate action despite six reminders, leading to hunger strike and suicide by the suspended student.
The two-member committee spoke with and took deposition from protesting students besides speaking to the officials of the university. The committee reportedly remarked in their report that enquiry by Executive Council’s subcommittee into expulsion of Rohith Vemula and four other scholars, was not up to the mark.
It also pointed out that some students seemed to feel academic discrimination and noted that recommendations were made by committees formed to examine student deaths in the university, but they were not implemented. It strongly suggested for standard procedures to be put in place to deal with academic dejection.
On February 10, the MHRD appointed a Commission of Inquiry to probe into the events leading to death of Rohith. The one-man commission is scheduled to meet the students, teaching staff, and other sections of UoH, from February 23 to 25.
Joint Action Committee for Social Justice-UoH demanded for postponement of the dates to February 27 or after. The last communication in the university’s website, regarding the enquiry dates, stated that schedule of proceedings will remain the same.