Following violence on the campus caused by the death of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, Section 144 was imposed in the University of Hyderabad.
Rohith Vemula hanged himself to death 12 days after he was expelled from his hostel along with four other researchers. The five students, all belonging to Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) were on a sleep-in strike in the open on campus even since their expulsion.
The five researchers were supported by 10 other students’ outfits on campus including ASA, Students Federation of India, Dalit Students Union and National Students Association among others. On Sunday, the students from each of the outfits had started relay hunger strike asking the university administration to take back the students, all of whom hailed from backward socio-economic backgrounds.
The protestors had earlier laid siege to the administrative building on January 13 asking the university administration to prevent what they called social boycott of the five students including the deceased. The students were prevented entry from hostel and denied permission to gather together following a scuffle between two students organisation — Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and ASA.
