New Delhi :
Igniting the fire over the ongoing protests after Rohith Vemula’s death, the professor who led the panel to decide on the punishment for the Dalit research scholar and his fellow students has taken charge as Vice Chancellor. This comes a day after the Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile has gone on an indefinite leave, notified University on Sunday.
Following the protests by students and after being named in Vemula’s death, VC citing some personal reasons had gone on leave. Now Professor Vipin Srivastava has been made the interim vice chancellor of the university.
On Thursday, the University had "terminated the punishment" on Rohith's four friends. 26-year-old Vemula, a PhD scholar had hanged himself last Sunday after living 13 days in what students had dubbed 'velivada' or an ostracised area meant for Dalits.
Amid strong protests for a about a week who, students had demanding the vice-chancellor's replacement and action against Union ministers Bandaru Dattatreya and Smriti Irani, who are believed to have written letters to pressurise the varsity authorities to act against the students to act. A compensation of Rs. 8 lakh has already been announced by the university for Rohith's family.
