Dalit scholar suicide: Rahul Gandhi to visit University of Hyderabad

NEW DELHI: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will today visit the University of Hyderabad to meet the students after a Dalit scholar allegedly committed suicide sparking massive protests.

Rahul is leaving for Hyderabad along with party General Secretary Digvijay Singh and will meet the students of the university, party sources said.

The body of the dalit research scholar was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room, which sparked massive protests.

Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were yesterday named in an FIR over the alleged suicide of the dalit student.

The issue took a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against dalit students at the behest of Dattatreya, who had written a letter to HRD Minister Smriti Irani, seeking action against their "anti-national acts".

The deceased student, Rohit Vemula, was among the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel.

The Congress had accused the BJP dispensation of having an "anti-Dalit agenda and mindset" and said the death of the scholar was "deliberately orchestrated by Dattatreya, Union HRD Ministry and their cohorts of ABVP".

"Now an FIR has been registered against the Union Minister and the letter written by him prima facie amounts to abetment of suicide, Congress demands that Dattatreya resigns with immediate effect, failing which the Prime Minister should sack him", party spokesman R P N Singh had said yesterday.