The SC/ST Faculty Forum at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) here today said it was deeply disturbed by the events unfolding at Jawaharlal Nehru University and other institutions of higher learning, and demanded release of JUNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar.
The Forum, which was in the forefront of protests following the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula at HCU, demanded withdrawal of police from the institutes of higher education, and restoration of their autonomy.
"The arrest of JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar on false charges is unacceptable and we demand his immediate release. We condemn the manhandling and assault of Kanhaiya within the Patiala House court by lawyers thus bringing disrepute to the very protectors of law," it said in a statement.
In a separate statement, Maulana Azad National Urdu University Teachers Association (MANUUTA) said it discussed the events at JNU at a meeting today to express solidarity with the struggle of students.
MANUUTA also demanded immediate withdrawal of cases against Kumar and other JNU students.
