The Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) at University of Hyderabad (UoH) is making preparations to observe the first death anniversary of Rohith Vemula as the `Dalit Rights Day’, on Tuesday. On this day it has given a call for `Chalo HCU’ programme, in which several dalit organisations and students associations will also participate.
It may be recalled that Rohit, who was a research scholar, had committed suicide on January 17, last year. Rohith’s mother Radhika Vemula and his younger brother Raja Vemula also will participate in this programme. This will be a protest programme to demand the Central Government to bring a Rohith Vemula Act to stop discrimination against dalit students in the universities.
Radhika Vemula appealing students, rights activists, and sympathisers to extend their solidarity by visiting HCU on Tuesday, deplored that the University administration has denied her permission to enter the university. She urged them to help her to pay tributes at Rohit’s memorial on the university campus by joining her at the entrance gate.
ASA activists have been strongly opposing presentation of the Millennium Plaque to HCU Vice Chancellor Apparao Podile by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent Indian Science Congress held at Tirupati. They wondered that instead of initiating action against the vice-chancellor along with Union ministers Bandaru Dattatreya and Smriti Irani, how the prime minister can honour Apparao with an award, who is prime accused in Rohith’s suicide case.
As many students from social welfare hostels and other educational institutions are approaching them to raise their voice against the caste discrimination towards them at their respective institutions, the ASA has decided to constitute the committees at district-level and also universities and colleges across two Telugu states.
