Two union ministers exercised “blatant coercion” prompting punitive action against the five Dalit students by the Hyderabad Central University, a Kerala Rajya Sabha has said in a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee.

Kerala Rajya Sabha MP Dr TN Seema wrote to Mukherjee, saying the minutes of the meeting Executive Council of the university on November 27, 2015, a letter from the Ministry of Human Resources Development was discussed.

Referring to the meeting, she said that it was “obvious that such blatant coercion from the Union ministers prompted the University to take punitive steps against the five dalit students, as is evidenced from the Minutes of the meeting”.

With this, she sought the President’s intervention in the “tragic death of a Dalit student at Hyderabad Central University”.

She also said that she was “proud to be part of this prestigious institution which was declared by your excellency as the best among central universities in 2015”, but added the events that led up to Rohith Vemula’s suicde had “shocked the nation”.

She further requested, “I earnestly request your excellency as the Visitor of the University of Hyderabad, to intervene in this matter and convene urgently a meeting of the Court of the University to discuss the developments and advise on further action.”

Seema also said it would not be “morally right” for her to continue as a member of the Court of the University “without proper investigation into the role of the two Union Ministers who abused their powers and coerced the University to take punitive action against the students and the insensitive attitude of the University authorities including the Vice Chancellor and without ensuring justice for the death of the student”.