Academicians from around the world seek President's intervention on HCU

Around 200 academicians from around the world today sought the intervention of President Pranab Mukherjee over the "unlawful detention" of students and faculty of Hyderabad Central University and demanded that its Vice Chancellor be removed. In a letter to President, these academicians demand unconditional and immediate release of all the students and faculty members and the withdrawal of all charges and removal of police force from the campus and the normalisation of college and hostel operations. They also sought prosecution of the Vice Chancellor for allegedly abetting the suicide of Rohith Vemula as well as for orchestrating the violence against protesting students and faculty members and his removal. "We as faculty members from around the world are shocked and condemn the brutality unleashed by the police force on students and faculty of Hyderabad Central University (HCU) on March 22nd and the unlawful detention of at least 25 students and 2 faculty members who were protesting peacefully," the letter said. "The police action on peaceful protesters in HCU marks the continuing repression of Dalit students and all those who have raised their voice demanding social justice. "We stand with the students and faculty opposing the reinstatement of the Vice Chancellor whose role in the death of PhD scholar Rohith Vemula is still under investigation, and extend our solidarity to the students' struggle against caste based oppression," wrote the faculty members, with a large number of them being from the US. "It is a matter of grave concern to us that universities, which are supposed to be spaces for fostering critical and independent thinking have been turned into spaces for police brutality and state repression," the letter said. This continuing escalation of state violence must cease immediately, the academicians said adding that the university administration and the political leadership should instead immediately start the process of democratic dialogue and address the concerns raised by the protesting students and faculty.