 "Students staging a protest over the death of Rohith Vemula, a doctorate student at the Hyderabad Central University who was found hanging in a hostel room, in Hyderabad on Monday. PTI Photo")
Heavy police force was deployed at the Golden Threshold premises, which houses the distance learning wing of the university besides the offices of the University Grants Commission (UGC), from where the Commission of Enquiry will record the opinions of various associations and individuals for three days up to February 25.
Police did not allow the media representatives inside the premises citing the instructions from the commission. A UoH representative also confirmed about such instructions stating that an UGC official yesterday informed the police not to allow the media to witness the proceedings.
On the first day the commission has given time to representatives of the students union(s) till afternoon and to the associations of the teaching and non-teaching staff of the university from afternoon till evening for airing their views on the incidents that finally culminated into the suicide of the 26 year-old research scholar on January 17, 2016.
The day coincides with the demonstration of the university students at Delhi planned in support of their demands, which include action against the HRD Minister among other things.
"I don't think any student representatives will appear before the commission as all of us have come to Delhi for the protest rally. However, from our side we have already sent our representation to the commission through the university vice chancellor, " Sanjay Jonnalagadda of Students Federation of India (SFI) told Business Standard over phone.
About 150 students from the UoH traveled to Delhi to take part in the march taken out from Ambedkar statue to Jantar Mantar while student representatives from other universities have also joined the rally, according to him.
Former student union president and research scholar S Nelson Mandela said no representative from the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of UoH student associations was appearing before the commission on Tuesday. "We have requested the commission to reschedule the deposition for a later date as we all are in Delhi for the rally demanding justice for Rohith," he said.
The death of Rohith Vemula stirred a nation wide protest with the university associations as well as the opposition parties such as Congress had alleged the political interference and the alleged discriminatory attitude against Dalit students in the university campus as prime reasons behind his death.
In December, 2015 Rohith and four other students of the university were barred from entering the hostel and library premises in a modified disciplinary action against them for allegedly manhandling a student leader affiliated to Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishat (ABVP) in the month of August, 2015.
The Ministry of Human Resources Development constituted the Commission of Enquiry to 'enquire into the facts and circumstances' leading to the death of Chakravarti R Vemula, and fix responsibility for lapses and also to review the existing grievance redressal mechanism for students at the univeristy and suggest improvements.
