‘Chalo HCU’ call on death anniv of Rohith Vemula on January 17

HYDERABAD: Ahead of the death anniversary of research scholar Rohith Vemula on January 17, dalit students under the aegis of Rohith Vemula Struggle and Solidarity Committee gave a Chalo HCU (Hyderabad Central University) call. The call was given during a round table conference organised by the committee on Monday. The Chalo HCU call is also to protest against removal of Velivada at the north shopping complex, where Rohith Vemula spent his last days, before committing suicide at the university in 2016, triggering nationwide protests.


The Velivada was erected by members of Ambedkar Students Association after Vemula was suspended with four other research scholars from their hostels. The Velivada, made of flexis of icons such as

Jyotirao Phule

, Savitribai, Dr BR Ambedkar, Periyar, Ayyankali and others, was a shelter for the five research scholars for nearly two weeks.

During the round table, Dontha Prashanth, one of the five students who was suspended by vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile, said there was an undeclared emergency in the campus with continuous harassment of dalit students who are fighting for justice.

Members of several student and social organisations such as Telangana Vidyarthi Vedika, Kula Nirmulana Porata Samithi, Ambedkar Students Association and Dalit Sena among others will join the chalo HCU movement.

The Rohith Vemula Struggle and Solidarity Committee also demanded that Podile should be arrested under the SC/ST Atrocities Act for destroying the portraits of Dr BR Ambedkar and other Dalit leaders and be removed from V-C’s post.