Students from various universities, who have been protesting against the delay in justice for Hyderabad Central University Dalit student Rohith Vemula, have reacted strongly to the police action meted out to them during a recent protest.
Calling it a “BJP government’s well thought out plan”, students alleged this is not the first time, they have been manhandled in the past too.
The video is a proof, alleged students. “Every time we try to hold a peaceful protest, we are beaten up, ill-treated or detained. Students have always been raising their voice but never have they been denied the right to protest, the way it is happening under the Modi government,” said Shehla Rashid Shora, Vice-President, JNU Students Union.
“We were thrashed while the Occupy UGC movement and earlier, while protesting on this issue, on January 18,” she added. Another student Sucheta De alleged, “Protesting against whatever we find inappropriate is our Constitutional right. We have to face assaults every time we try to raise our voices.”
The students’ reaction comes in the wake of a video, showing male police constables assaulting protesters, including women, demonstrating over Vemula's suicide near the RSS head office on January 30. Some people in plain clothes are seen thrashing the protesters, which the students allege, were members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
The students from JNU had decided to go on an indefinite hunger strike last week when they were detained from outside HRD Ministry for staging a protest there. The students have been demanding the resignations of Union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya and the VC of Hyderabad University over the death of Rohith Vemula.
