Hyderabad University unrest: MHRD to set up judicial commission

New Delhi : Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has decided to constitute a Judicial Commission to review the entire sequence of events and circumstances that led to unrest on the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) campus.
The panel, which was constituted after the fact finding committee constituted by the ministry submitted its report on Friday.

Union HRD Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, meanwhile, spoke to the mother of Rohith Vemula, the young research scholar who committed suicide, and extended her condolences.

However, in order to address issues faced by the students from disadvantaged social, economic and educational backgrounds in higher educational institutions and to prevent such unfortunate incidents in future, the ministry has decided to launch a programme for sensitising academic administrators about understanding and handling problems faced by socially, educationally and economically disadvantaged students. All wardens, administrative staff and Registrars would be compulsorily put through this orientation programme. A special module will be prepared for this orientation.

The ministry said a special mechanism would also be set up by it for receiving and taking expeditious action on the grievances from these students.

All vice chancellors (VCs) and senior administrators would be sensitised to reach out to socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged students. There should be zero tolerance for any acts of discrimination on campus. A special charter would be issued to all the HEIs in this regard.

The Peer-group Assisted Learning (PAL) of IIT Gandhinagar would be extended to all the HEIs, under which mentors would be arranged for the socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged students not only to assist them in education, but to support them with regards to challenges being faced by them within their Institutions. (ANI)