Rohith Vemula death anniversary: Journalist booked for 'trespassing'

The journalist Kumal S, working with an English magazine, was booked on charge of trespass and other relevant sections of IPC following a complaint by the varsity security officials.

Hyderabad, Jan 17: Cyberabad Police on Tuesday booked a journalist for allegedly unauthorisedly entering into the University of Hyderabad (UoH) campus on the first death anniversary of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula.

The journalist Kumal S, working with an English magazine, was booked on charge of trespass and other relevant sections of IPC following a complaint by the varsity security officials, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Madhapur Zone) P Vishwa Prasad said.

The complainant accused Kunal of clandestinely sneaking into the varsity and covering an event (protest) by a group of students in memory of first death anniversary of research scholar Rohith Vemula. "We are investigating into the matter," the DCP said.

Kunal, however, said he went inside the campus on official duty i.e. for collecting information with regard to the protest after being invited by a university faculty member. "I was accosted by UoH security personnel and later taken to Cyberabad Commissionerate by local police where an ACP rank officer questioned me for hours together before being let off," he said.

Kunal said he had entered the varsity after showing his ID card and that the varsity was 'falsely' claiming that he was not having visitor pass for entering the campus. In view of the programmes planned by JAC for Social Justice at UoH to mark Vemula's death anniversary today, the University had yesterday said that it has not issued any permission to hold such activities.

"The University cannot provide a platform for outsiders to participate in the activities called by insiders or outsiders when there is no permission for the same," a circular from UoH had said. There is a ban on the campus on allowing outsiders into the campus and hence the University will not entertain any outsiders directly or indirectly to enter into the campus, it said.

The High Court has barred entry of all outsiders into the University campus, it added. The University came into light after research scholar Rohith Vemula allegedly committed suicide in a hostel room at its campus on January 17 last year.

PTI