‘Chalo HCU’ On Thursday

Hyderabad: The pulling-down of the ‘Velivada’, (which is made up of flexis consisting of Dalit leaders like B.R. Ambedkar) at the University of Hyderabad led to the call for ‘Chalo University of Hyderabad’ on January 17. It was the same day two years ago the HCU student Rohith Vemula committed suicide. Incidentally, he even spent his last days at the ‘Velivada’ (dalit ghetto).

The Rohith Vemula Struggle and Solidarity Committee met for a round table meeting post the incident and gave the call for ‘Chalo University of Hyderabad’ on January 17.

Dr. K.Y. Ratnam said, “The portraits of Dalit leaders are not just flexis, but symbols of self-respect. He reminded of an event from the past and said, in Maharashtra, just laying a hand on an Ambedkar statue led to the dethroning of state government.”

Dr G. Vijay, another professor at the University of Hyderabad, said, “We are coming up with a district-level campaign seeking justice for Rohith Vemula and preserving dissent in democracy.”

Dontha Prashanth from the Ambedkar Students Association said, “There is an undeclared emergency in the campus with continuous assault on the rights of Dalit students who are fighting for justice to Rohith Vemula.” He alleged that Podile Appa Rao, was preventing the media from entering into the campus form the past three years, to hide a large number of atrocities committed against Dalit students.”

B. Lakshmaiah from Kula Nirmulana Porata Samithi (KNPS) Chalo HCU call on January 17, 2019 in solidarity with the protesting students and against the destruction of the portraits. He even demanded that GachiBowli police should immediately register an FIR against Podile Apparao in under Section 18 A of SC/ST PoA Act.

Organisations present at the meeting were KNPS, ASA, OPDR, Dalit Sena, and others. Prof. Padmaja shaw (OU), Prof. Kasim (OU) also participated in the meeting expressing their dissent.

Also Read: GHMC Fails To Enforce Directive On Illegal Publicity Material In Old City