Hyderabad varsity announces Rs 8 lakh for Rohith's family

The Hyderabad University, rocked by student protests after the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, on Friday announced Rs 8 lakh as ex-gratia assistance for the bereaved family.

A demand draft for the amount will be handed over to Rohith's mother Radhika, a university statement said here.

The decision came a day after the university revoked the suspension of four Dalit students, who along with Rohith were suspended after an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad leader alleged assault in August last year.

Vice-Chancellor P Appa Rao had also offered to reach out to Rohith's family and meet his mother.

However, the students continued their protest to demand the resignation and arrest of the Vice-Chancellor, blaming him for the suicide of Rohith on Sunday.

As Rohith and four other Dalit students were suspended and thrown out of the university hostel, they were holding protest on the campus since early this month.