New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Friday kicked up a controversy by calling the ongoing protest in University of Hyderabad a ‘drama’, and compared the students who are protesting the death of the dalit scholar with “ruuning dogs”.
The BJP leader tweeted as “The Hyderabad University drama is fast becoming the biggest con job of Communists and their running dog”
It is to be noted that earlier on Thursday Swamy sought a strict action against the protesting students. “University of Hyderabad should take a tough stand against the student groups protesting over the suicide of a Dalit scholar as they are not adhering the democratic principles. All those not interested in attending the classes should be expelled”, swamy said.
Hyderabad Central University revoked the suspension of four dalit students against whom action was taken along with Rohith. However students demanded a strict action against those responsible for the alleged suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula including Vice Chancellor Appa Rao, and two central ministers.
“The VC must go.This (revocation) is a welcome decision. But we cant celebrate it because Rohith is not there. We are not able to accept your decision. We have other demands like appropriate compensation and a job for one of the members of Rohiths family,” students said.
Rohith Vemula hung himself with a banner of his union on Sunday, two weeks after he and four other students were suspended and banned from the hostel, the cafeteria and other common areas for allegedly beating an activist of a rival student union in August. The five students had been living outside the campus in a tent.
The suicide has set off a political row with students and the opposition alleging that he was subjected to caste discrimination. A police complaint accuses union minister Bandaru Dattatreya and another BJP lawmaker of driving Rohith to suicide by compelling the university to punish him. Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile has also been named.