WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM THE INDIAN EXPRESS,THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 EXPRESS NETWORK 7 Its Dalit leaders Rohith got call from cops, notice from hostel GOVT TERRORISM FORCED DALIT SCHOLAR TO COMMIT SUICIDE: MAYA restive, BJP calls New Delhi: Alleging that “govern- coming increasingly difficult”. policies of the BJP government, ment terrorism” forced Dalit Condemning the behaviour of then you are our enemy and you it conspiracy dated November 5, summoning Chief Warden regarding vacating against me because I will be af- scholar Rohith Vemula to commit “two senior ministers of the would be tortured through gov- SREENIVAS JANYALA him to record his statement in the hostel room immediately. fected unduly for appearing in suicide, BSP chief Mayawati said Narendra Modi government” to- ernment terrorism.” The BSP has HYDERABAD, JANUARY 20 connection with the complaint Therefore, you are directed to the case and my career will be on Wednesday that “securing jus- wards Vemula, she said: “This be- send a five-member delegation LIZ MATHEW lodged by ABVP leader clear your mess dues of Rs 9,482 spoilt. tice for the Dalit community is be- haviour that if you are against to Hyderabad. ENS NEW DELHI, JANUARY 20 BEFORE HE committed suicide Nandanam Susheel Kumar. and vacate the room by 4 pm of “I belong to SC community on January 17, Rohith On December 18, he received December 18...Failing which nec- and implicating me in a criminal WITH ITS Dalit leaders speaking Chakravarthi Vemula was another letter — this time from essary action shall be taken in offence amounts to atrocity on up and its attempt to highlight summoned by the police and the warden of the men’s hostels this case. Please treat this as most an SC person.” Dalit student Rohith Vemula as had received an ultimatum J and K. urgent.’’ Rohith was scared that police someone who “supported ter- from the warden to leave The letter, addressed to Replying to the letter from wanted to detain or arrest him rorism” finding few echoes, the the hostel. Rohith, men’s hostel J, room no police, Rohith said: “I deny the al- and, therefore, had summoned BJP on Wednesday went into The 26-year-old had received 45, read: “This is with reference legations made by Susheel him to the police station instead damage control mode. a letter from the Sub-Inspector to the letter dated December 17 Kumar which are false. I humbly of visiting the university to record Sources said the growing of Gachibowli police station, received from the office of the request you not to proceed his statement. protests from the student com- munity and the anguish ex- pressed by Dalit leaders, includ- Had flagged suicides, Irani ing the party’s own MPs, came 40% are ragged, less than up for informal discussions at twisting facts, says Cong MP the Cabinet meeting. Party 9% speak out, says study sources said it was Prime New Delhi: Alleging that HRD HCU. Rao’s letter, in fact, had Minister Narendra Modi who Institutions in India’, the report is Minister Smriti Irani was unnec- flagged suicides in the university, suggested that Union ministers DEEPTIMAN TIWARY based on a survey conducted essarily linking him to the con- allegedly due to caste discrimi- Smriti Irani, Thaawarchand NEW DELHI, JANUARY 20 among over 10,000 students in troversy over the suicide of a Dalit nation. In an attempt to defend Gehlot and Nirmala Sitharaman 37 colleges across the country. student of Hyderabad Central her cabinet colleague Bandaru should address a press confer- WHILE CLOSE to 40 per cent stu- The research team was led by University, Congress MP Dattatreya, Irani has said Rao, too, ence clarifying the government’s dents in colleges across India a committee of scholars from the Hanumantha Rao said had written to her, raising issues stand on the matter. faced some kind of ragging, only Jawaharlal Nehru University. It Wednesday that in his letter to pertaining to the university. At the press conference, Irani 8.6 per cent reported the inci- was mandated by a 2009 Irani, he had never said there Dattatreya is facing charges of repeatedly said the suicide of the dents, a study funded by UGC on Supreme Court order to study the were “anti-national elements” at abetment to suicide. ENS young research scholar on the the directions of Supreme Court prevalence, causes and solutions Hyderabad Central University has found out. The study also to ragging menace in universi- campus was not a “caste battle”. found language and region to be ties. The committee included as She claimed that the protests the basis of more than 25 per members Prof Mohan Rao, Dr were being misrepresented with cent ragging incidents, while Shobna Sonpar, Dr Amit Sen, Prof “malicious intent”. caste was a factor in 8 per cent Shekhar P Seshadri, Harsh BJP had earlier said that “the cases. It also discovered that rag- Agarwal and Divya Padalia. context of the clash between stu- ging was more rampant in pro- Highlighting social discrimi- dent groups was Rohith’s stand fessional colleges, with nearly 60 nation in ragging, the report said, in support of terrorism, includ- per cent students being targeted. “Caste-based discrimination ing that against the hanging of Titled ‘Psychosocial Study of was admitted by eight per cent Yakub Memon”. However, Dalit Ragging in Selected Educational of students.” leaders, including three MPs be- longing to the BJP, took strong exception to Rohith’s activities being branded as anti-national. On Wednesday, BJP leaders at the party headquarters argued that the entire episode looked like a “conspiracy” against the BJP. Party secretary Shrikant Sharma alleged that the latest campaign against the BJP was a “conspiracy” to damage its chances in the run-up to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections, scheduled for next month..