The press release also mentioned, “The University of Hyderabad would like to reiterate that we have zero tolerance for physical or verbal abuse of any member of the University community in the course of discharging their duties. Further, the University, which is among the top-ranked educational institutions in the country, holds in high regard the academic autonomy and integrity of its well-qualified teachers” It added that it fully expected all interaction taking place within the University to be conducted with mutual respect, dignity, and decorum. It appealed to all sections of the campus community to seek redressal of any genuine grievances only through appropriate institutional channels provided for the purpose.
 
Responding to this decision by the Proctorial Board, Mr. K. Laxminarayana said, “See, the abuse he had used was very bad, derogatory and serious. This could have been booked under the SC-ST atrocities case. But I did not want any such kind of punishment for the student.” He said that there was a lot of discussion among faculty members and students about Mr. Kalsaniya which compelled the University administration to take this decision. He added, “I also came to know about more such incidents in the past. This can’t be tolerated. This is indicative of a degenerative culture and reflects the nature of ABVP leadership at the national level.” Questioning the nature of leadership of ABVP, he said that the University should not yield to the appeals of reduction of punishment.

 
Notably, Mr. Kaluram Palsaniya, who has a Facebook profile with the name Karan Palsaniya, had posted this message on his profile against Prof. K. Laxminarayana in January 2018,
“Bxxxxxxx Laxminarayana now preaching what is saffronisation. He even don’t know basics of Economics and now preaching about Saffronisation. He has became professor only because of his blackmailing tricks.”

Mr. Kaluram Palsaniya is a PhD student in History and interestingly, a national co-convenor of the ABVP, the student wing of the ruling dispensation. Moreover, the message was posted from a Facebook group managed by a group of students from the University as a response to an exam paper set by Professor Laxminarayana in which he included two questions that appeared critical of the national government’s policies including the “saffronisation of education.”
 
Prof. K. Laxminarayana has been a part of the UoH for about 30 years and is also a former president of the UoH Teachers’ Association. He had written a formal letter of complaint to the Vice Chancellor and considered it as “highly derogatory, objectionable and targeting my dignity and humble social background from which I rose to the post of professorship”
 
Responding to the derogatory Facebook message, the professor had earlier said, “The questions were in the context of the present government’s educational policies. No one from the University teaching faculty or its officials raised any objections to the questions. So how can a student of some other discipline attack me in this vicious manner? The intent was to humiliate me publicly by using abusive language. It vitiated the atmosphere on the campus. Surely the officials recognise the urgency of resolving such matters especially after Rohith Vemula’s suicide.”

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On January 17, 2018 it will be two years since the ‘institutional murder of Rohith Vemula.’ Hyderabad University will commemorate the second death anniversary of 26-year-old Dalit student Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide on campus after alleging that he was being persecuted by university officials on account of his caste. VC Appa Rao Podile temporarily removed by the Modi-Smriti Irani combine when the outrage was at its height, was cynically re-instated in March 2016 after violence was unleashed on students and teachers on campus.
As Rohith’s close associates friends plan to commemorate his death, the sprawling campus is witnessing tensions between the RSS’ touth wing, the ABVP and Dalit students. It was the ABVP that has been largely held responsible for the spate of attacks on Ambedkarite students at the HCU. What has provoked this tension is a cynical Facebook post from two months ago that abuses K Laxminarayana, a professor in the school of economics who is a Dalit. The language used is sic.

“Bastard Laxminarayana now preaching what is saffronisation. He even don’t know basics of Economics and now preaching about Saffronisation. He has became professor only because of his blackmailing tricks.” The invective is the offering of Karan Palsaniya, a PhD student in the History department. He is also a senior leader of the ABVP, not just in Hyderabad – he is a national co-convenor.
 

The pathetic thing is that this comment was posted on a Facebook page handled by a group of students from the university which Professor Laxminarayana has been associated with for nearly 30 years. He is also a former president of the University of Hyderabad Teachers’ Association. Days after the Facebook post, he wrote a formal letter of complaint to the Vice Chancellor, describing it as “highly derogatory, objectionable and targeting my dignity and humble social background from which I rose to the post of professorship”.
The professor requested the university to initiate action against the student. Not surprisingly, he has received no response from the Vice Chancellor, Appa Rao Podile, or any other official. 

The professor says “The questions were in the context of the present government’s educational policies. No one from the University teaching faculty or its officials raised any objections to the questions. So how can a student of some other discipline attack me in this vicious manner? The intent was to humiliate me publicly by using abusive language. It vitiated the atmosphere on the campus. Surely the officials recognise the urgency of resolving such matters especially after Rohith Vemula’s suicide.”
Media reports state that university administration has used the winter break as an excuse saying that this prevented urgent action as requested by the professor and that Mr Palsaniya has been asked to explain his comments to a committee on Wednesday: the second-year anniversary of Rohith Vemula’s death.
It was in August 2015, Vemula was suspended along with four other Dalit students for being “casteist, extremist and anti-national.” The action followed a complaint against him by the ABVP. Vemula was a member of the Ambedkar Students Association. There was a history of strain between the two groups that had been getting tauter. The ABVP said that one of its leaders had been so badly injured by Vemula and his group that he was hospitalized. After his fellowship payment was suspended, Vemula was told to leave his hostel. He moved into a tent on the campus as part of a sit-in protest. In January 2016, he was found dead in a friend’s room in the University; he had hanged himself.

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The students had submitted a complaint against the warden, Mr. Panigrahi of the NRS hostel to Chief Warden in August, 2017 with more than 150 signatures. The students said in the complaint letter that they were facing several problems like lack of sufficient water coolers, lights in passageways, geysers etc. They further stated that most rooms had broken windows, doors of wash rooms were not in good condition, taps were not working and more.

Instead of paying heed to the problems that the students were facing, the hostel warden Mr. Panigrahi allegedly chose to indulge in ‘indecent’ behaviour, as alleged by the students in the letter. The letter also stated that the warden would often threaten to double lock them in rooms if they come out to complain again. Not just this, the letter further added, “Besides this, he always shouts at students by saying that he won’t listen to any higher authority and no one can dictate him, either VC or Chief Warden as he is the supremo of the hostel”.

Besides adopting various techniques of intimidating students, the Warden also reportedly used racial and regional abuses, as mentioned in the letter. In case if a student dares disobey his orders, the Warden does not sign their semester registration forms. The letter asked the Chief Warden, “Are scholars school kids?”

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Following a fresh controversy after the Guntur district administration in Andhra stated that University of Hyderabad (UoH) research scholar Rohith Vemula was not a Dalit, reports suggest that the inquiry went with the 'minority view'.
An investigation by Sudipto Mondal for the Hindustan Times, has revealed that the inquiry by the District-Level Scrutiny Committee (DLSC), received the testimonials of seven people, out of which only two claimed that Rohith was not a Dalit.

The two included Rohith's estranged father Mani Kumar and paternal grandmother Raghavamma.

The DLSC was headed by Guntur district collector Kantilal Dande.

The five people who said that Rohith was a Dalit, include his mother Radhika Vemula, his brother Raja Vemula, his sister Neelima, his paternal grandfather, and his adopted maternal grandmother.

The HT report also suggests that a written statement by local councillor Upalapathy Danamma, who had recommended SC certificates to Radhika and her children, was not even taken into consideration.

It is also important to note that Rohith's father and paternal grandmother 'claimed' him as their own, but did not dispute the fact that Radhika was a Dalit.

When questioned about it, Dande told HT that the primary school where Radhika studied for a brief period, had recorded Anjani Devi as Radhika’s mother, which was "enough proof," to declare her a non-Dalit. 

Last week, the state government decided to 'cancel' Rohith's Scheduled Caste certificate.

The DLSC alleged that the SC certificate was “fraudulently” obtained by Rohith and his mother Radhika Vemula.

The controversy over Rohith's caste first broke out after a certificate of his brother Raja Vemula stated that he was a ‘Vaddera’, a caste which is categorised as OBC in Andhra. 

It was later revealed that Rohith’s father Mani Kumar was a Vaddera, and his mother was a Mala. 

However, Mani Kumar was an alcoholic who deserted the family once he realised that Radhika was a Dalit, the family claimed. Therefore, Rohith, who never knew his father, claimed his mother's caste, and grew up as a Mala.
The state also served a show-cause notice to Rohith's family.

Confirming that the family received the notice, Raja Vemula earlier told TNM, "They have threatened to cancel the certificate if we can't 'prove' our caste. It is ridiculous. We are very disheartened and the authorities are putting us through mental torture." 

"We have been talking to lawyers, and plan to respond soon," he added.

Rohith's mother has also alleged that the entire issue was to 'shame' her family and her background.

The latest report by the Andhra government would also have a direct impact on a case pending with the Cyberabad police against UoH Vice Chacellor Appa Rao Podile.

A police case was registered at the Gachibowli police station against Bandaru Dattatreya and Appa Rao, under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after the death of Rohith.

Now with the report claiming that Rohith was not a Dalit, the entire case against the VC and the Minister could collapse, if the family does not 'prove' Rohith's caste.

Courtesy: The News Minute
 

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Days after two students from the University of Hyderabad (UoH) were denied their PhD entrance exam hall tickets by the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), they have now been allowed to appear for the exam.

The two students, Kavyashree Raghunath and Manani MS, are members of the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) at UoH, were denied their hall tickets for participating the protests surrounding the death of Rohith Vemula.

While Kavyasree Raghunath is the General Secretary of the ASA, Manasi MS is the Cultural Secretary of the association's UoH wing. 

The students claimed that they were not able to download the hall tickets online, and directly approached EFLU's administration. 

Prakash Kona, the proctor of EFLU, stated orally that they both had actively participated in all the protests following Rohith's death, and that he had "photographs of you two on my table", the students alleged.

Several students condemned the alleged act by the university, also highlighting that the university has a "history of casteism". 

However, the university defended its stand, saying, "There is a university rule which does not allow students involved in acts of indiscipline to write the entrance exam."

The students reportedly received an SMS on Sunday, stating that they are now allowed to write the exam and can download their hall tickets from the website. 

Speaking to TNIE, Manasi said that they were asked to write a letter, regarding the denial of hall tickets and they did so. They were able to download the hall ticket on Monday afternoon.

The entrance exam is scheduled to be held on February 25, 2017.

Courtesy: The News Minute

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Image: Wikipedia

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The prohibition came to light on February 6 when a student of HCU, Zunera lodged a complaint with the registrar of the university demanding appropriate action. Reportedly, a student from the Maulana Azad National University came to HCU to deliver some medicines to one of his friends was stopped at the university gate.

When contacted by New Indian Express, the chief security officer, TV Rao confirmed the administration’s decision to bar the entry of Muslim visitors to the campus. According to Rao, he had overheard some conversation among students planned to convene a meeting on the campus to condemn US President Donald Trump’s ban on entry into America of Muslims from several countries.

“On Saturday, a number of students, specifically Muslim students came in twos and threes. All of them stated that they wanted to meet their friends inside the campus. It was unusual for that many students, from a single community, to come in on a single day,” Rao told New Indian Express. 

Rao said that when contacted by him, the Dean of Students said that no permission had been sought or granted for any such meeting. “That was when we understood that they were all up to some mischief and decided to stop the group from entering the campus for the day,” added Rao. 
 

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Radhika Vemula and HCU students arrested on Rohith Shahadath Din

At about 8 p.m. on the night of January 17, the first anniversary of the date of Dalit Research scholar, Rohith Vemula's "institutional murder" a callous Telangana police detained his mother Radhika Vemula, who had expressed her wish to pay homage at the Veliwada within the University of Hyderabad Campus.

This Video caputured by Dalit Camera shows the progress of events
.

Even as students at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) had planned to hold a largescale protest on January 17, commemorating the death anniversary of Rohith Vemula, the university administration had told the media that it will not let them go ahead with their plans.

Pro-VC Vipin Srivastava, said, "It is our prerogative as to who we can let inside the campus and who we can't. We will take a decision based on the law and order situation. If they refuse to comply, we also have a High Court order."

The Hyderabad High Court, in an interim order in April last year, directed the registrar and the police commissioner not to allow any political party or association to hold a meeting on the university premises. The ban has since extended to the media, and 'outsiders' too.

"We will try to control the situation as much as possible with our own campus security. However, if we are unable to do it, we will call for additional help," he said, when asked if the police would be deployed outside campus.

This comes a day after Radhika Vemula, Rohith's mother, released a video calling for support on Rohith's 'Shahadat Din' to enter the campus.

"Ever since Rohith's death, I have been taking part in several protests and meetings across the country for Dalit unity. Now, I am asking you all to come to Hyderabad on January 17, to join me at Rohith's stupa and pay our respects. Me and Raja (Rohith's brother) are not being allowed into the University since the last eight months.
They have imprisoned Rohith's stupa. So, I request you all to come along and help me reach the stupa. It has been my desire for a long time now.  I am counting on you all. You will come, will you not? Jai Bheem," she said.

When asked about Radhika's statement, Vipin Srivastava said, "Officially, we have not received a request or granted permission for any such event."
However, the students remain determined in their demand.

"When VC Appa Rao's son can come inside the university legitimately and use facilities of the campus, no one is seen asking for permission. When the ABVP is allowed to organise programs and invite nonsensical guests to the campus, why can't the university allow Radhika Vemula, whose son was a student, and was institutionally murdered, into the campus?" Dontha Prashanth, one of the five students suspended with Vemula asked.
From 9am onwards on Tuesday, the students planned to garland various portraits of Vemula in all hostels on the campus. At 2pm, they had planned to take out a 'remembrance rally', following which they plan to occupy the 'velivada' on campus at around 3 30 pm.
 
 Till late evening the university administration remained adamant. Frontline journalist Kunal Shekhar was also detained for "trespass." The UoH has been converted into a fortress with severe regulations on entry.

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After a day-long process of counting the votes polled on September 28, the results were announced late last night, said a release from University of Hyderabad, popularly known as Hyderabad Central University (HCU).

The UFSJ won all the posts, with its candidate Kuldeep Singh Nagi winning president’s post by securing 1,406 votes against Gopal Krishna of AVBP-OBCA who secured 1,354 votes.

The vice-president’s post was won by Bukya Sunder of UFSJ securing 1,701 votes against Aditya of AVBP-OBCA who got 1,405 votes.

The general secretary’s post was won by Suman Damera of UFSJ securing 1,842 votes against Anand Rao of ABVP-OBCA who got 1,503 votes.

The joint secretary’s post was won by Pilli Vijay Kumar who got 1,557 votes against Ajit of ABVP-OBCA who secured 1,351 votes.

The students groups that stood for elections this year included Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA), USFJ, and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) along with the OBC Association (OBCA), the third major group contesting.

UFSJ comprises Students’ Federation of India, Dalit Students’ Union, Tribal Students’ Forum, Bahujan Students’ Front and Telangana Vidyarthi Vedika.

The cultural secretary’s post was won by Nakhrai Debarma of UFSJ with 1,823 votes against Shanti of ABVP-OBCA who secured 1,594 votes.

Similarly, UFSJ’s Ushnish Das won the post of sports secretary securing 1,790 votes against Nanda of ABVP-OBCA who got 1,632 votes, the release added.

(With inputs from PTI)

Courtesy: Janta Ka Reporter
 

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