Kejriwal meets agitating students, attacks Irani

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is the student wing of the RSS and is allied to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“It was headed by Vipin Srivastava and not anyone belonging to the Dalit community. She spoke a number of lies to cover up a lie”.

Continuing his attack on Ms Irani, he said that her name should be included in the FIR filed after Rohith’s suicide on the abetment of suicide case in which Mr Dattatr-eya has been named as one of the accused. Two days ago, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had also targeted Irani and Dattatreya, saying the ministers and the VC have “not acted fairly” that forced the Dalit scholar to take the extreme step.

“The culpability of Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani should be investigated by a sitting high court judge and the Union Labour Minister should be immediately sacked”, another party spokesman Deepender Singh Hooda had said yesterday, when asked whether the party stood by its demand for sacking of Irani.

“In response to the honourable minister’s fabricated statements, we the Dalit (SC/ST) faculty and officers lay down our administrative positions”, said a statement by university’s SC/ST Teachers and Officers’ Forum.

Taking exception to disciplinary action taken by the university on five students of Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), including Rohit, he attributed the expulsion of students to Dattatreya who had put “pressure” on the Vice-Chancellor with his letters.

The students – Sontha Prasanth, Pepapudi Vijay Kumar, Sheshaiah Chemudugunta and Velpula Sunkanna -though allowed to attend classes, were barred from entering the hostel, library, mess and other common areas within the university premises post the December order. “When such bright students have to commit suicide, it is a shame on the entire society”, Arvind Kejriwal said.

Predictably, the announcement brought much cheer to protesting students who have been demanding that the university revoke the suspension of these students, since the day Vemula committed suicide in a hostel room.

Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor, who earlier ruled out resignation, appealed to students to maintain calm and harmony under the extraordinary circumstances prevailing on the campus and repose faith in the internal mechanisms to resolve the issues.