Yechury Seeks Mukherjee’s Intervention in Hyderabad Varsity Issue

Hyderabad, Jan 20 (IANS) CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday sought President Pranab Mukherjee's intervention in the University of Hyderabad issue, where a Dalit research scholar committed suicide due to suspension and alleged 'social boycott'.

After addressing the students on the campus, Yechury told reporters that he will meet the president, who is a visitor of the university, to seek his intervention.

"We will meet and tell him (Mukherjee) on what basis you gave the best university award to Hyderabad university last year and this is what is happening here," the Communist Party of India-Marxist leader said while pointing out that 12 Dalit students committed suicide in the university in the last few years.

CPI-M Rajya Sabha member Seema, who is a member of the university court, has already written to the president and also the vice president, who appointed her as the member, to immediately call a meeting of the university court to remove vice chancellor Appa Rao.

She wrote that it will be morally not tenable for her to continue as a member unless an emergency meeting is called to dismiss the vice chancellor.

Earlier, addressing the students, Yechury demanded the sacking of central ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya and also the vice chancellor, saying all the three were part of the criminal conspiracy.

He said the vice chancellor re-opened an inquiry to not only suspend the five Dalit students but subject them to social boycott which was unheard of in any Indian university.

Terming the probe ordered by the human resource development ministry as an eyewash, he said an independent inquiry -- by the CBI or judicial -- should be ordered.

"This should be treated as a criminal offence and should be tried as a criminal offence as per the new law (SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act) passed by parliament," he said.

Terming Rohith Vemula's suicide as a murder under a conspiracy, Yechury said it was part of the larger game to make universities conform to the concept of support and furthering 'Hindu rashtra'.

He said this was part of intolerance, which was in itself part of the larger issue of transforming the secular democratic republic of India into an intolerant and fascist Hindu rashtra.