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5-letter nudge from HRD- Smriti's ministry wrote five times to varsity on Dalit student outfit, cites 'VIP' rule in defence

Published On : 20 Jan 2016


New Delhi, (The Telegraph): New Delhi, Jan. 19: The Union human resource development ministry wrote five times to the University of Hyderabad about a minister's complaint against a Dalit student body that was followed by action against five members and the suicide of one.

The government rushed to defend minister Smriti Irani as the revelation brought her ministry's role under the scanner at a time PhD scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide on Sunday has triggered widespread protests.

Her ministry's spokesperson cited an official manual to justify the initial letter and four reminders to the university, sent after Union labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya wrote to Irani about the Ambedkar Students Association's "anti-national politics".


The "central secretariat manual of office procedure" says the government must acknowledge a VIP reference within 15 days of receiving it and reply within another 15 days, the spokesperson said.

If the reply needs to be obtained from another department, the ministry must send an interim reply to the VIP, indicating the possible date by which the final reply may be sent.

"The ministry sincerely followed the official manual," the spokesperson said.

Rohith hanged himself weeks after being expelled from the hostel with four fellow members of the student body. Vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile has denied any pressure from the government.

Protesting students are blaming Irani for the suicide along with Dattatreya and the vice-chancellor, both of whom find themselves accused of abetting the suicide in an FIR along with three others.

 


Here is how the events unfolded:

Aug. 10: Hyderabad BJP vice-president Nandanam Diwakar wrote to Dattatreya saying Susheel Kumar, a leader of RSS student arm ABVP, had been attacked for protesting an Ambedkar Students Association prayer meeting for hanged terrorist Yakub Memon.

Diwakar alleged a perception on the campus "that it is shameful to be Hindu and Indian", asking why universities "allow prayer meetings for Yakub Memon".

Aug. 17: Dattatreya, MP from Secunderabad, wrote to Irani accusing the student body of "casteist, extremist and anti-national politics" and cited the alleged attack on Susheel.

(Susheel, his brother Vishnu and MLC Ramachandra Rao of the BJP are the three other accused in the FIR.)

Sept. 3: Ramji Pandey, undersecretary in Irani's ministry, forwarded Dattatreya's letter to the university requesting it to examine the matter and convey the facts to the ministry.

Sept. 24: Subodh Kumar Ghildiyal, deputy secretary in the ministry, sent the first reminder, asking for a speedy response.

Oct. 6: Ghildiyal sent a second reminder.

Oct. 20: Joint secretary Sukhbir Singh Sandhu sent a third reminder to provide the facts "at the earliest".

Nov. 19: Pandey sent the fourth reminder.

Jan. 7: Vice-chancellor Rao despatched a report to the ministry. The delay remains unexplained.

In his reply, Rao explained that after a probe, the university's executive council had recommended the five Dalit research scholars be expelled for one semester. But student protests led to the decision being revoked and another sub-committee, which included a Dalit teacher, was set up for a fresh inquiry.

Rao, who took over from the previous VC sometime after the sub-committee's formation, said the panel suggested the expulsion of the five scholars.

But on November 27, the executive council took "a lenient view" and decided to allow the five the use of their "respective departments, library and academic meetings and not the hostel, administration and other public places on the campus".

On December 20, the chief warden asked the five to vacate the hostel. The scholars challenged the decision in the high court, which did not stay the expulsions, Rao said.

It's not clear whether Rao mentioned how the five were evicted from the hostel on January 4 and began a "sleep-in" protest on the campus lawns under a makeshift tarpaulin canopy.

After Rohith's suicide, Rao informed the ministry that protesting students had closed the administration building on January 13, a day after which the VC met the students and asked them to wait for the court order.

Student protesters, who have formed a "joint action committee", said their agitation would continue till Rao resigned. Classes were held as usual today and Rao attended his office.

A fact-finding committee that Irani's ministry had sent met the agitating students today and recorded their statements. It is expected to hand in its report on Thursday.

Photo credit: The Telegraph







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