PUCL TN & Pondicherry

Jan 20, 2016
Tags: Death of Dalit Scholar
Related Issue: Right to Life, Right against discrimination, Right to Dissent, Right of Association

PUCL – Tamil Nadu state unit views with serious concern the alarmingly rampant caste and communal discrimination prevalent at the Institutes of higher learning in India. The poignant suicide note of Rohith Chakravarthy Vemula – a Ph.D. scholar of Life sciences at University of Hyderabad has sent shock waves across the Country.

What was termed as a small political dispute which could have been amicably resolved, was blown out of proportion by the Students’ Union affliated to the Saffron Party, the Akhil Bharath Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). On an allegation of assault preferred by student leader of ABVP, along with deceased Rohith Vemula, four other research students were arraigned as accused. Following an enquiry, which was devoid of fair procedure and in violation of principles of `Natural Justice’, the five research scholars, including deceased Rohith Vemula were expelled from the hostel, denied access to common places and restrained from contesting union election. Rohith and others were also suspended from the University and Disciplinary Action initiated.

Hence they have been subjected to social and economic assaults and their democratic rights have been stifled to the core. Their fellowships (stipend) have been put on hold; being forced to remain without shelter and using the hostel rooms of other dalit students was demeaning and difficult; denying them their fellowships for several months meant that they were choked of all financial resources for their daily expenses, including meals and basic living amenities, forcing a harsh, inhuman condition on them. Acute financial distress, intense social discrimination, threat of police action and literally being forced to be homeless and lack of humane, fair and sensitive response from the University authorities led to such intolerable mental and emotional stress that eventually Rohith decided to end his life.

It should be noted that following representation from the expelled students belonging to Ambedkar Students Union, the then Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sharma, revoked the suspension. But the new VC, Prof. Appa Rao, bowing to pressure from the Union Ministry of HRD which sent several letters seeking to know what follow up action had been taken against the Dalit scholars, the apex body of the University expelled them again. Bhandaru Dattatreya – the minister for State of Labour and Employment addressed a letter to the Ministry of HRD in which he had dubbed the activities of Ambedkar Student Union as “casteist, extremist and anti-national”. Based on that letter, the Union HRD Minister, Smriti Irani, wrote a number of letters asking for details regarding issue raised by Bhandaru Dattatreya .These letters were instrumental to the final decision to expel the above students / research scholars. University of Hyderabad has become a puppet at the hands of saffron forces.

The Vinod Pavarala committee which went into the mysterious death of Senthil Kumar- a dalit doctorate student in physics at UoH who belonged to Jalakandapuram in Salem in Tamil nadu, pointed out that the school was acting against the interest of SC and ST students. It is pertinent to recall the report submitted by former UGC chairperson Sukhdeo Thorat seven years ago. He enquired into the circumstances leading to the death of a medical student at AIIMS in Delhi. Unfortunately his findings were not accepted by the Administration. It is reliably learnt that in the last four years 18 dalit students were forced to end their lives on account of pernicious caste prejudice.

PUCL – TN unit strongly condemns the role of the Vice Chancellor of Hyderabad University and the central Ministers who were directly involved in this incidents. PUCL demands:

  1. that Institutes of higher learning should function in such a manner as to foster and encourage free thoughts which are the basic tenet of democracy.
  2. The Universities should give up imposing social economic assaults on dalit students.
  3. Those who found guilty in abetting Rohit Veluma to commit suicide should be criminally prosecuted and put behind bars.
  4. The BJP Govt should stop saffronisation of University campuses.
  5. The role played by the Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor is especially condemnable and he should be directly held to be responsible for the unfortunate death by suicide, of Rohith Vemula, a promising Dalit scholar and prosecuted for abetment of suicide. Similarly the role of Union Ministers Bandaru Dattatreya and Smriti Irani, and the demonstrated misuse of their powers by constantly interfering in the internal affairs of an independent institution like Hyderabad University and pressurising the Vice Chancellor to take unfair, coercive and damaging decisions against Rohith and other 4 scholars is both unacceptable and to be condemned. In view of their direct involvement in the incidents and decisions leading to the suicide of dalit research scholar, Rohith Vemula, both these central ministers should be removed from their posts.
  6. The Government should immediately disburse Rs. 1,75,000/- which was the Fellowship amount unpaid to Rohith to his parents apart from adequate compensation.
  7. Central government should immediately disburse scholarships and fellowship amount to all students who are eligible, without any delay.
  8. The govt must ensures that the Universities and colleges without any diversion the funds of fellowship and scholarships of students immediately reach students.