Dalit students on edge as UP university acts against Modi protesters

Tension simmered in the hostels at Ambedkar University here after the varsity officials on Saturday decided to act tough against three dalit students, who had shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s convocation address on Friday.

The students were registering their protest against Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula's suicide.

According to varsity officials, the administration had decided to put the award of their degree on hold even as the three students - Ram Karan, Amarendra Arya and Surendra Nigam - alleged that the varsity was ‘conspiring’ to ‘ruin’ their ‘career’.

The three, who had cleared the Masters in Law (LLM) examination and were merit students, said on Saturday that they had no regret for what they did and demanded that they be given medals and degrees.

Tension simmered in the varsity over what some dalit students alleged ‘discrimination’ against them by the administration. A few dalit students alleged that the varsity administration threatened to implicate them in false cases if they raised their voice against discrimination.

One dalit research scholar alleged that the fellowship money was not paid to her by the varsity. Even on Friday several dalit students from the hostels had come out of their rooms and raised slogans against the prime minister when they came to know that two of their fellow students had been detained by the police for raising slogans during prime minister's convocation address.