UPDATE:
The students and the two faculty members were released on their submission of sureties of Rs 5,000 each.The court also directed them to appear before Gachibowli Station House Officer once in a week. The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, UoH has issued a strongly worded press release, reiterating demands that include the removal of Appa Rao and introduction of the Rohith Act and welcoming back the students, faculty and media person who had been detained back to the struggle. The press release can be read here.
The prosecution informed the XXV Metropolitan Magistrate court at Miyapur Court Complex here that the situation (law and order) is under control on HCU campus and they are not going to oppose the bail applications of all the 27 accused. “In view of the career of the students we have not filed counter. We have left the court to decide the case on merit. The arrest were made by the police in order to control the situation (on March 22)…without having any personal grudges against anyone”, the public prosecutor said.
The defence counsel urged the court to grant bail contending that the allegations which were levelled against the accused are absolutely ‘vague’ and there is no material to keep them in further detention, and hence, requested the court to grant them bail on personal bonds. A group of students, who were opposing Prof Appa Rao Podile’s return as the VC after a two-month leave following the row over research scholar Rohith Vemula’s suicide in a university hostel room, had been arrested after violence broke out on campus. The Chronology for the Events that took place on March 22 can be read at the bottom of the article here. Police resorted to a brutal lathicharge and arrested 25 of them, beside two faculty members. All of them were lodged in Cherlapally central prison here.Cases were booked on charges of damage to public property, trespass, preventing government officials from performing their duties, and other relevant sections of IPC in connection with the violence.
Earlier Story:
Bail was granted by a local court to 27 students and two faculty members of the Hyderabad Central University, illegally arrested after a round of police violence on the campus due to the irregular and unscheduled return of suspended VC Appa Rao to campus on March 22, 2016.
The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice said those detained were not produced before a court within 24 hours of their arrest, as mandated by law. The Joint Action Committee(s) all over the country formed after the institutional murder of Rohith Vemula had called for a Nationwide Class Boycott in all campuses today, March 28, 2002 as a mark of solidarity and protest. Since media was not allowed on campus, students took their protests outside today, Monday, March 28.
Here is the Facebook Message of the Joint Action Committee
Revolutionary Salutes to Professor K. Y Ratnam and Profssor Tathagata Sengupta for standing with students against all odds. We will take the struggle forward for a casteless society that we all imagine together.
WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU IN VELIVADA!
WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU TO COME AND TAKE CLASSES FOR US ON 'SCIENCE AND CASTE' THAT WE MISSED OUT (THAT WERE TAKEN IN JAIL)!
WE ARE MORE THAN FIVE!
WE ARE MORE THAN TWENTY SEVEN!
WE ARE MORE THAN FORTY SEVEN!
BAIL GRANTED!
THIS IS ONE STEP TOWARDS THE DEFEAT OF APPA RAO PODILE AND THE ENTIRE SAFFRON BRIGADE!
THIS IS ONE STEP TOWARDS GETTING JUSTICE FOR ROHITH!
REVOLUTIONARY SALUTE TO ALL THE BRAVE STUDENTS AND FACULTY MEMBERS WHO FACED BRUTAL LATHI CHARGE IN BOTH UNIVERSITY OF HYDERABAD CAMPUS AND POLICE CUSTODY AND WERE PUT IN JAILS FOR DEMANDING SOCIAL JUSTICE!
JAGAH HAI KITNI JAIL MEIN TERE, DEKH LIYA HAI, DEKHENGE!
ROHITH, TERE KHOON SE INQUILAB AAYEGA!
Fearless students of University of Hyderabad protest at the University gate and Sanghi sold out University administration block demanding the immediate and unconditional release of students and faculty members.
#JusticeforRohith
#StopWitchHunting
The police crackdown and detainment of Hyderabad Central University students and faculty members made its way into the Telangana Assembly this weekend, with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday announcing that he will take up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the demand for recall of Hyderabad Central University Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao.
The Chief Minister was responding to a debate in the house, with the Opposition Congress and MIM demanding a probe on the police action. "If any atrocities were found to be committed by police, appropriate action will be taken," the Chief Minister said.
A Hyderabad court on Monday granted bail to 25 students and two faculty members who were arrested last week after protests at the University of Hyderabad. The 27 had to pay a surety of Rs 50,000 and will have to check in with the police at a station once a week, ANI reported. Hundreds protested the return of the vice chancellor, Podile Appa Rao, who had gone on leave following the suicide of Dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula. The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice said the 27 were not produced before a court within 24 hours of their arrested, as mandated by law. The committee has been leading protests after Rohith Vemula’s suicide.
The National Human Rights Commission had sent a notice to the university following protests there last week on Saturday in a strongly worded communication referring to the "emergency like situation within the university, and reports of police violence on campus. Rights group Amnesty International had asked for an independent investigation into the police’s force against students and protestors at the university.
Over 300 academics had issued a strong statement including Noam Chomsky extending support to the protests at HCU. An independent inquiry report had recommended the immediate suspension of VC Appa Rao and an independent probe into the police atrocities on campus.
A detailed Referencer on articles published by Sabrangindia,in on the happenings at the Hyderabad University Campus can be read at the bottom of this article.