UoH panel wanted suspension

HC told only partial suspension on Rohith, 3 others imposed

The Hyderabad Central University has submitted before the Hyderabad High Court the proctorial board recommendation for the suspension of four research scholars including Rohith Vemula for their involvement in the alleged assault on another research scholar and ABVP leader N. Susheel Kumar.

In a counter-affidavit filed before the High Court in the case of suspended students, the in- charge registrar of the University of Hyderabad admitted that the four research students belonging to the Ambedkar Students Association were suspended due to unavoidable circumstances. However, their suspension was revoked by the executive council after taking a lenient view in the interests of their academic pursuits and also considering their economic background.

Narrating the sequence of events that led to the attack on Susheel Kumar on August 4, 2015, the registrar said that the very act of “a mob” (suspended students) going to a hostel room and forcibly making the “ward” (ABVP activist) come out at 1 am is itself illegal. In its affidavit, the UoH contended that even if it is assumed that there was no physical violence, to say that the act of the students was “democratic and peaceful” is nothing but a mockery of democracy.

An affidavit submitted by the UoH said the proctorial board submitted its final report after recording the statements of witnesses and research scholars including Susheel Kumar on August 31, 2015. Based on the recommendations, four students were suspended on September 8.

The suspended students — D. Prashanth, Rohith Vemula, P. Vijaya Kumar and C. Seshiah — did not deny their involvement in the incident, the affidavit added.

It was submitted before the court that the suspended students were represented to the varsity on September 10, 2015, and their suspension was revoked on the condition that a committee would be constituted to look into the incident afresh and that they should comply with the decision taken by UoH.