Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Mangaluru: Holding the ABVP and the RSS activists responsible for the death of PhD student of Hyderabad University Rohith Vemula Chakravarthi, the DYFI and the SFI members held a protest near the DC office on Wednesday January 20, demanding their arrest.

President of All India Rationalists’ Association Narendra Nayak said that students from backward classes are being tortured in a bid to prevent them from pursuing higher studies. The communalism and caste-based inequality prevailing in the Hyderabad University has led to the ‘murder’ of Rohith, he said adding that the case should be probed.

Speaking further Nayak said that he has seen for himself, the exploitation that is prevalent in the Hyderabad University. He alleged that 23 students of the University have committed suicide due to prejudice based treatment. The discrimination of students belonging to backward classes in premier institutions should be questioned, he said.

Late afternoon, SIO too staged a protest near the DC office demanding higher-level probe into the case.
They held a demonstration depicting Rohith. While a few held mattresses and a photo of Dr BR Ambedkar depicting Rohith’s days in the campus after suspension, a few other tied roped around their necks demanding the University and the ABVP to hang them, as Rohith too resorted to hanging.

Addressing the gathering, DK District President of SIO Rafiq Bidar, said that Rohith lost his life as he became the target of communal forces. Alleging the University’s communal treatment responsible for his death, Bidar urged to refrain from getting politics into the case.