STATEMENT ON ROHITH VEMULA
Irfan Engineer
Dear friends, Hope by now you came to know about the unfortunate incident that took place in the University of Hyderabad.
We shall not see this incident in isolation. Let me explain to you in brief what triggered the series of events in HCU. The Ambedkar Students Association started their agitation against the capital punishment still in existence in Indian Penal Code. As followers of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s ideology and sensitive human rights defenders they started the protest well within the Constitutional framework about 6 months back. The right wing ABVP members who are against the agitation to scrap capital punishment were very angry with the ASA and started mudslinging on ASA.
Having gathered their strength on the campus with the appointment of Dr. P. Apparao as VC and their BJP /RSS members outside the campus resorted for direct attack on the leadership of ASA. ASA members also protested the proposal of the University soon after Apparao became the VC. That is to wear vetti or lungy to all those students in the recently held convocation. Finally the VC had to go back on his proposal leaving to the choice of the students to wear vetti or lungi.
Much aggravated by these two incidents the ABVP leaders wrote inflicting and character assassinating comments on the face book about the ASA leaders.
Having seen this ASA members dragged the ABVP leaders to the security officer and got them deleted. Further the ABVP person apologized for the same.
ASA thought it is all over. But the ABVP members lodged a complaint both with the local police and University authorities that one of their members was physically attacked by ASA.
The University constituted a proctoral Committee to look into the matter, and the committee came out with a report saying it is all false.
Meanwhile the ABVP gathered their strength outside the campus and made BJP, MP Bandaru Dattatreya and MLC to write letters to the minister for Human Resources to the VC.
The VC then extended the proctoral Committee and got a report just against what the earlier Committee said and suspended 5 very promising scholars of ASA.
Also the ABVP filed a private complaint against the University seeking action taken report on ASA members.
The University with the help of police and security forces on the campus disturbed the ASA agitation.
At this juncture Rohit gave up his life….
Why we are saying that we shall not see this as a mere HCU campus issue is because recent attacks on Dalit students of EFLU, attacks on Dalit students of Madras law college students demanding for naming their auditorium after Dr B R Ambedkar all have similarities. In all these agitations our youth were agitating well within the Constitutional framework. All their demands concerned the entire Indian community. They are very minimum human rights issues. Concern for justice and identity in a Democratic country. To uphold the dignity of the community.
But in all these disconnected issues the modus operandi of the aggressive authorities is similar as if they had word of exchange.
They have implicated our youth in police cases, so that their careers are doomed.
They have been rusticated so that our youth will be disqualified to get any academic jobs.
One very important factor and common to all our youth is they are best students of their institutions.
Especially in HCU it is not the first time. Exactly 15 years back when this same Apparao was the Chief warden 11 fantastic scholars were rusticated for three years. Out of them only 3/4 students could revive their studies. Though they have done their Ph.Ds they are still facing the wrath of the restriction where ever they go for job.
Hence our appeal is don’t consider this as a mere campus issue of HCU. This is a well planned clandestine coup against up coming future Dalit intelligentsia.
Let’s join to attack the caste Hindu Monster, before we lose any more of our future generation’s leaders and intellectuals.
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