JOIN USSC/ST Teachers Forum at University of Hyderabad has said their members would launch a hunger strike from Thursday demanding justice for Dalit scholar Vemula Rohit, dashing hopes of resuming classes early.
“We demand the resignation of Vice Chancellor P Apparao and the interim VC Prof Vipin Srivastava to resume academic and administrative activities,” the Forum’s convener S Sudhakar Babu said.
The Forum has despatched notices to the interim VC, the Registrar, Executive Council members and Prof Apparao.
Meanwhile, the Student JAC for Social Justice decided to intensify its agitation with the support of teaching, non-teaching staff and casual labourers in the campus.
Despite a few non-dalit teachers visiting Velivada (dalit quarters) to declare their support to the agitation, many are yet to follow suit.
“The greatest movement ever to occur on Indian campuses was actually the gift of Rohit. This agitation has shook the foundations of the nation,” Prof Anupama of Computer science department said.
On Wednesday, the JAC, which called for a nationwide university ban, conducted a rally in the UoH campus till the residences of interim Vice Chancellor Prof Srivastava and Chief Proctor Prof Alok Pandey.
They raised slogans like “Sanghi Gunde Hosh me Aavo” before the residences and sat for a protest.
Later, holding a rally up to the campus gate, students burnt effigies of the Vice Chancellor and interim Vice Chancellor and demanded their resignation. Across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, students held rallies in Osmania, Kakatiya, Andhra and Venkateswara universities.
UoH security evicted six of the seven students on indefinite strike and moved them to health centre. They are said to be in a stable condition. Devi Prasad, a sociology scholar, is continuing his hunger strike.
While the agitation Rohit launched reached its 24th day, the strike action began to protest Rohith’s suicide has reached its eighth day.