A Congress delegation on Tuesday met President Pranab Mukherjee and demanded suspension of Union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad Central University Vice-Chancellor P. Appa Rao until their “role” in Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula’s suicide case is investigated.
A 14-member delegation led by Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and senior Congress leader SK Shinde said Mr. Rao should be asked to stay away from university premises in the “best interests of academic well being.”
In a memorandum presented to the President, the party said: “The Police steps up and expedites its dealing with the cases filed against the Vice Chancellor, with efficiency and in accordance with due legal process, rather than indulging in partisan complicity. The criminal cases against students and teachers should be quashed forthwith by the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the University.”