Duta demands removal of HCU Vice-Chancellor

The Delhi University Teacher Association (Duta) strongly condemned the police crackdown on students and teachers of the Hyderabad Central University and demanded the immediate removal of vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile. A press statement issued by Duta stated the V-C and his team of administrators are allegedly responsible for unleashing a series of extremely unfortunate events that have led to a full-blown crisis for the students and teachers in the campus.

In a statement, Duta president Nandita Narain said, “On March 22, the V-C, against whom the enquiry on charges of inciting and abetting Rohith Vemula’s suicide are still pending, returned to work and through an apparently pre-planned course of events, allowed the CRPF and Rapid Action Force (RAF) to enter the campus and attack the agitating students and teachers. The V-C’s machiavellian ploy to fan further unrest among students, who have been demanding his removal and justice for Rohith Vemula, is a part of a larger conspiracy to lay siege on the university and crush the democratic movement of its students and teachers. It has resulted in barbaric police violence, hostel raids, the arrest of 25 students and 2 teachers and the administrative decision to shut water supply, messes, electricity and Internet in the campus.”

“The students who had tried to organise ‘community-kitchens’ were attacked by the police and some of them have been grievously injured. It is shocking and deplorable that aided by the tacit consent of the governments at the Centre and state, the university administration is indulging in a politics of revenge against the bonafide students and teachers,” Delhi Univers-ity Teacher Association secretary Sandeep said.