Rohith Vemula's suicide: Students burn Smriti Irani's effigy; demand Rs 5 crore compensation, job for scholar's kin

Hyderabad: Despite Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani's attempt to defend the Centre over the suicide of a Dalit scholar, fierce protests continued on Wednesday by the students at the Hyderabad University as they even took to burning her effigy.

Chanting slogans against the Centre and Irani, Hyderabad University students have raised a 6-point demand seeking justice for Rohith Vemula.

Demand #1 - Compensation of Rs 5 crore to Rohith Vemula's family

Demand #2 - Job to Rohith Vemula's kin in the university

Demand #3 - Sack Vice-Chancellor Prof. Appa Rao Podile

Demand #4 - Drop false cases against Dalit students of the university

Demand #5 - Revoke suspension of other scholars

Demand #6 - Punish the culprits behind Rohith Vemula's death

 

Earlier, in the day, Smriti Irani had asserted that the suicide of Rohith Vemula was not a Dalit versus a non-Dalit confrontation and said that attempts were being made to 'ignite passion' in the case of the scholar's suicide across communities.

 

The agitating students have also demanded that the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) must leave the campus of the university immediately.

The students also chanted slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).