Campus environment is vitiated: Dalit prof at UoH quits after appointment of Pro-VC

Terming the environment on University of Hyderabad (UoH) campus as "hostile" for the Dalit community, a senior Dalit faculty member on Thursday resigned to protest the appointment of Prof Vipin Srivastava as Pro-Vice-Chancellor-1 of the varsity.

Prof Sreepati Ramudu, Head of the Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy at the UoH, said in his resignation letter to the Registrar, "The current environment on the campus is extremely vitiated and is perceived by the Dalit community as intimidating and hostile." 

Referring to the death of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula on January 17 (which led to nation-wide protests), Sreepati said he had been following the developments on the campus before and after Rohith's death.

"They (Dalits) feel very vulnerable and lack confidence in the impartiality of the administration. So, I had hoped that knowing very well the sentiments of the Dalit faculty expressed in many letters from the SC/ST Teachers Forum, the administration will take up confidence building measures. Instead, to my shock, I see a circular naming Prof Vipin Srivastava as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor-1," Sreepati said.

Srivastava had faced a serious allegation in the past, he said.

UoH appointed Srivastava as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor-1 on June 7. He would be assisting the Vice-Chancellor Prof Appa Rao Podile.