Mutiny in Hyderabad University as 13 more faculty members resign

13 more Hyderabad University faculty members quit on Monday from their administrative posts, protesting against interim VC.

This after Vipin Srivastava, the senior most Professor, was made acting in-charge of the university in place of the VC Appa  Rao Podile, who went on indefinite leave.

Far from calming down the prevalent tense situation in the campus, his departure has sparked off new controversy as dalit faculty members alleged that the professor made interim charge too had “deep involvement” in the suicide of the dalit scholar Rohith Vemula and in the death of another student from the community.

On 21 January, several dalit faculty members had resigned from their ‘administrative roles’ protesting against what they termed was blatant lie by Irani.

Irani on Wednesday had said that at various stages — from Proctoral Committee to Executive Council (EC) to sub-committee of EC — senior dalit professors of the university were involved in the decision to expel the five students.

Podile along with the BJP MP and minister in Narendra Modi cabinet, Bandaru Dattatreya have been named in the FIR on charges of abetment of suicide and under relevant sections of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in connection with Rohith’s case.

The university put a notice on its website on Sunday saying, “The Vice-Chancellor will be on leave. In the absence of the Vice-Chancellor, Vipin Srivastava, the senior most Professor, shall perform the duties of the Vice-Chancellor wef 24-01-2016.”