Members of the Udupi district unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a dharna in front of the Clock Tower here on Monday in protest against Congress efforts to politicise the suicide of the researcher Rohith Vemula in the University of Hyderabad and also of three Dalit students in Tamil Nadu. Addressing the protesters, Srihari, ABVP leader, said that the Congress and its vice-president Rahul Gandhi were using the suicide of Rohith Vemula for political gains. Mr. Rahul Gandhi was indulging in the politics of caste and vengeance on university campuses. He should spell out the reasons for it.
Although a judicial probe had been ordered into the death of Rohith Vemula, Mr. Rahul Gandhi was trying to mislead students. The suicide of Rohith Vemula was a sensitive matter. All political parties and politicians should cooperate and wait for the probe to be completed.
But it was strange that Mr. Rahul Gandhi was silent about the suicide of three students at SVS Medical College of Yoga and Naturopathy and Research Institute at Villupuram in Tamil Nadu on January 22. The three students committed suicide as they could not bear the alleged harassment by the college management. This was an example of commercialisation of education, he said.
The government of Tamil Nadu should take action against the college authorities and bring in a law against such colleges. A proper probe should be ordered into the death of these three students, Mr. Srihari said.
Subodh, Chinmayi, Rahul, Santosh, Srijani, Gautami and Renuka, student leaders, were present.
