Irani criticises bid to give caste angle to suicide

Irani, flanked by two senior Cabinet colleagues Thaawar Chand Gehlot and Nirmala Sitharaman, addressed a press conference where she strongly refuted allegations of interference and putting pressure on the university authority to take action against the Dalit students. “This is not a Dalit versus non-Dalit issue as being projected by some to ignite passions. A malicious attempt is being made to show it as a caste battle which it is not,” the Human Resource Development Minister said. She said even the suicide note by Rohith Vemula, the Dalit student, did not mention any MP or political party responsible for his decision to take the extreme step. 

Accusing the Congress of trying to use the issue for political gains, Irani also referred to a letter written to the Ministry by party MP Hanumantha Rao in September 2014 where he had talked about suicides by marginalised students in the university for over four years. “Congress wants to shoot on this issue which is expected but unfortunate. The Congress MP says that this problem persisted for four years. If they (Congress) had fixed the problem four years ago, perhaps Rohith’s life could have been saved,” Irani said. 

The Minister said the two-member fact finding committee which was sent to the university by the HRD Ministry will return on Wednesday night and file its report after which further details will be known in the case which is sub-judice. 

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi too accused Rahul Gandhi of trying to “create gulf” in the society over the alleged suicide of a Dalit scholar at Hyderabad Central University and said no minister is going to resign. The Union Minister of State for Minorities Welfare slammed the Gandhi scion for trying to “create gulf in the society” on the pretext of the suicide of the scholar when a probe was already in progress. 

Meanwhile, protests intensified at the Hyderabad University over the alleged suicide of a Dalit research scholar even as more politicians headed to the campus, demanding resignation of Union Minister Smriti Irani. 

Under attack, the university Vice Chancellor claimed there had been “no pressure” from Union Ministers or the HRD Ministry to act against the youth but offered to facilitate talks to restore peace on the campus. 

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, spokesperson of TMC Derek O’Brien and YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy interacted with the students, who have been on warpath demanding justice for 26-year-old Vemula Rohith Chakravarthi. Police took into preventive custody some activists of the pro-CPI All India Students Federation (AISF) when they tried to hold a demonstration near the residence of Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been accused of being responsible for the death.