Committee for Rohith shifts venue for tomorrow's meeting

Hyderabad, Aug 28: The Struggle and Solidarity Committee for Justice for deceased Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula will hold its meeting at Gandhi Bhavan here tomorrow after Telangana police denied them permission to stage a 'maha dharna' at Indira Park.

Demanding arrest of those responsible for the death of Rohith, the University of Hyderabad (UoH) research scholar who allegedly committed suicide on the university campus in January, the committee had earlier planned to stage a demonstration at Indira Park.

However, Telangana police denied them permission for the event, the committee said today. "The committee has shifted the venue for tomorrow's meeting to Gandhi Bhavan," it said.

Dalit icon BR Ambedkar's grandson Prakash, Rohith's mother Radhika Vemula and activist Teesta Setalvad are scheduled to address the meeting. It maybe recalled that UoH Vice Chancellor Podile Appa Rao and others were booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abetment of Rohith's suicide. The committee has been demanding their arrest.

"The attitude of Telangana police in delaying the arrest as well as denying permission to the committee shows that they are siding with the killers of Rohith," the committee claimed in a release.

Rohith's death on January 17 had sparked massive nationwide protests, resulting in a fierce slugfest with a string of political parties and Dalit organisations siding with the students and accusing the BJP government and the university administration of being "anti-Dalit".

UoH has been witnessing sporadic protests since Rohith's death with students demanding removal of Appa Rao from the post of VC.

PTI