JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar on Wednesday said that the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice of Hyderabad Central University will continue its struggle until the Centre brings out a ‘Rohith Act’.
Kanhaiya, who landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad at around 11 am, also said that he will participate and address a public meeting organised by the JAC on the HCU campus this evening, “if the police permits”.
“Today, I will first meet Rohith Vemula’s mother Radhika and his brother Raja. JAC has invited me to address a public meeting on HCU campus...If police allows me then I will definitely go to HCU and address the students,” Kanhaiya told reporters at RGIA.
“We have experience with JAC for various struggles and we will take this fight forward...this struggle will continue until ‘Rohith Act’ is implemented...to fulfil his (Rohith’s) dreams of social justice on the campus,” he said.
Notably, the mother and brother of Dalit research scholar Rohith – who committed suicide in a hostel room on the campus on January 17 – had last month met political leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Sitaram Yechuri and KC Tyagi, seeking their support for the enactment of a ‘Rohith Act’ against caste discrimination in educational institutions.
Earlier, the HCU authorities categorically said they would not allow outsiders, including media and political party leaders, on the campus in view of the prevailing situation.
HCU Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile’s official residence was on Tuesday vandalised by students. Police had lathicharged another group of students who were protesting the VC resuming his position after a two-month leave in the wake of Vemula’s suicide.
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