Scholar suicide: University of Hyderabad V-C goes on leave, protests over interim V-C

University of Hyderabad vice-chancellor Prof. Appa Rao Podile, who is in the dock for the suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula, went on indefinite leave on Sunday afternoon.

The university appointed the next senior teacher Dr Vipin Srivastava as incharge V-C.

Dr Srivastava — who holds a Ph.D from Roorkee University and is an expert in condensed matter physics, neural networks and brain function modelling — will look to break the ice with student leaders. His appointment, however, has drawn protests.

In another climbdown, the UoH issued an order on Sunday to “terminate the punishment” of the four scholars. The order was issued as student unions had objected to the university suspending their punishment in a circular which they deemed invalid.

Sunday’s order also makes it conditional upon the outcome of the two petitions in the high court, one filed by Vijaya Kumar seeking action on the alleged assaulters of her son, ABVP activist N. Susheel Kumar, and the other by research scholars seeking the revocation of their suspension. The order is also conditional upon the outcome of the Gachibowli, Cyberabad, police investigation into the complaint of the assault filed by Mr Kumar.

Speaking to this newspaper later, Prof. Appa Rao said he had gone on leave in order to facilitate talks with the protesting students. “I cannot say at this moment how many days I will be on leave. I have decided to be on leave till normalcy is restored,” Prof. Appa Rao said and added, “I have been in touch with the teaching faculty and certain likeminded organisations to facilitate talks.”

To a question on pressure from the Centre to take action on the research scholars, Prof. Appa Rao said the registrar had submitted an action-taken report in the first week of January to the Union ministry of human resources development after the dalit students were expelled from the hostels and barred from public places on the campus.

He said the decision was not influenced by the HRD ministry or by politicians.

He defended expelling the students “from public places in groups”, which led to a feeling of social boycott, by stating that there were several precedents in the Hyderabad university.

“We did not react to the reminders of the ministry. The action taken report was sent to the ministry only after expelling the students in January,” he said. The university has still not replied to reminders from the ministry on the letter written by Congress MP V. Hanumantha Rao, he said.

Prof. Appa Rao said he followed no ideology, left or right or centrist. “I was president of the teachers association and I had raised several issues pertaining to the faculty and participated in demonstrations. When some attribute (my actions to) ideology, Manuvadam, I don’t understand,” he said.