Union Minister who termed HCU 'den of casteist extremists' booked under SC/ST Atrocities Act

New Delhi/Hyderabad, Jan 18: A suicide at Hyderabad Central University (HCU) draws spot light on still prevailing atrocities on Dalits.

A Union Minister, Bandaru Dattatreya's letter written on 17 Aug 2015 (available with OneIndia) to HRD minister Smriti Irani appallingly exposes the mind set of the minister over Dalit students' movement.

However the minister on Monday along with the Vice Chancellor of the university booked for abetting the suicide of Rohith Vemula.

The letter dated 17th Aug, 2015 by Minister of State (Independent Charge), Labor and Employment and addressed to the Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani termed HCU "den of casteist extremist and anti-national politics."

The letter targeting the HCU said Hyderabad University, a central university located in Hyderabad has, in the recent past, become a den of casteist extremist and anti-national politics.

The letter further added this could be visualized from the fact that when Yakub Menon was hanged, a dominant students' union, that is Ambedkar Students' Association has held protests against the execution.

"When Shri Shushil Kumar, President of the ABVP in the campus protested against this, he was man handled as a result he was admitted to the hospital." The letter observed that the university authority has become mute spectator to such events.

The minister said his purpose of sending the letter to the HRD minister was to apprise the situation of the university and he hoped Irani's dynamic leadership would bring turn around in the campus politics.

Minister booked

The Police in Hyderabad on Monday booked union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and three others for abetting the suicide and also for violations of the SC/ST Atrocities Act following the suicide of a Dalit research scholar of the University of Hyderabad.

University vice chancellor Appa Rao and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leaders Sushil Kumar and Vishnu have also been booked.

The cases under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code and also the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act were filed in Gachibowli police station under Cyberabad police commissionerate limits.

HRD forms committee

While the central government is under severe pressure, the HRD has formed two member fact-finding committee to look into the circumstances that lead Rohith to kill self.

According to official sources, the team led by Shakila T Shamsu, OSD in the ministry, and comprising another Deputy Secretary level officer Surat Singh, will go to Hyderabad today to look into the entire matter and submit the report to the HRD ministry.

The body of V Rohit, a Dalit PhD scholar who was found hanging at the Central University's hostel room in the campus yesterday, was sent for post mortem amid protests from fellow students this morning.

Rohit was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. The suspension was revoked later.

The five research scholars were suspended from the hostel for rest of their study period for allegedly attacking an ABVP leader. Meanwhile, some student unions have called for an educational institutions bandh today

OneIndia News

With inputs from the agencies