Apparao Goes on Leave, Appoints Srivastav as Incharge VC

Hyderabad: Even as the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) campus is on the boil after the scholar Rohith's suicide, the vice chancellor Prof. Apparao on Sunday appointed Prof. Vipin Srivastav as in-charge vice chancellor before going on a long leave.

The HCU students have been demanding the resignation of Apparao alleging that he was responsible for casteist discrimination on the campus that led to the death of Rohith.

However, the temporary change of VC came as fuel to the fire as students allege that Srivastav was equally casteist minded person who was responsible for the suicide of another scholar on the campus sometime back. They demanded the removal of Apparao and appointment of a new VC with clean credentials.

A group of seven scholars are continuing the indefinite fast after the first set of scholars were taken away by the police on Friday. They said they will intensify their agitation until all their five demands were met. "There are so many senior, eligible professors with clean history, but the powers-that-be do not want the university to be run smoothly and that's why they appointed Prof. Srivastav who is known for his anti-Dalit attitude," they said.

Meanwhile, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge visited the campus and expressed his party's solidarity with the agitating students.