Dialogue only way forward on Vemula issue, says Hyderabad varsity acting VC

University of Hyderabad interim Vice Chancellor Vipin Srivastava on Monday said that only by going forward can the Rohith Vemula suicide issue reach a logical and acceptable conclusion.

"The only way we can move forward is through talks and for that I am reaching out to my faculty colleagues to help us talk with the students. I have appealed to my colleagues as the only way forward is dialogue, I am reaching out to colleagues. I will like to speak to them and seek their help and reaching out to the students," Srivastava told ANI here.

"The students main demand is that the vice-chancellor should be removed and no one can do anything about it. As the vice chancellor is appointed by the President of India following a due procedure and in that nobody can do anything. So, that demand definitely cannot be met by us. We have no role to pay there," he added.

Concerned about the 'Chalo HCU' protest march, Srivastava said that the police is taking care of it completely and their main motive is to stop the students from going into hunger strike.

An indefinite fast launched by a fresh batch seven students over suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula continued in the Hyderabad Central University here for the second day even as agitators called for a 'Chalo HCU' protest march to press their demands.

The stir resumed yesterday after the previous group of seven fasting students were shifted to the hospital on Saturday following deterioration in their health condition after three days of hunger strike.

The main demands includes removal of Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao.

Yesterday, the university put a notice on its website saying the Vice-Chancellor will be on leave and that Vipin Srivastava, the senior most Professor, shall perform the duties of the Vice-Chancellor. It did not mention the period of leave.

However, the SC/ST Faculty Forum and SC/ST Officers Forum expressed "shock" over the decision to appoint Srivastava as officiating Vice-Chancellor and alleged that he headed the Executive Council Sub-Committee "which has been responsible for the death of Rohith" and was one of the "accused" in the suicide of another Dalit student, Senthil, in 2008.