JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar on Wednesday voiced his support for the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice of Hyderabad Central University and said it will continue with its struggle until the Centre brings out 'Rohith Act'.
This comes even as Vice Chancellor Prof Appa Rao Podile said today that HCU has not granted any permission to Kanhaiya to address a meeting on the campus.
"Nobody has approached for permission. Definitely, there is no permission," he told PTI in Hyderabad.
Kumar was scheduled to address a meeting on the campus this evening at the invitation of the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, which had spearheaded an agitation earlier demanding "justice" for Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide in a hostel room at HCU on January 17.
Meanwhile, Kanhaiya, who landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad at around 11 AM, said that he will participate and address a public meeting organised by the JAC on the HCU campus this evening, "if the police permits".
"Today, I will first meet Rohith Vemula's mother Radhika and his brother Raja. JAC has invited me to address a public meeting on HCU campus...If police allows me then I will definitely go to HCU and address the students," Kanhaiya told reporters at RGIA.
"We have experience with JAC for various struggles and we will take this fight forward...this struggle will continue until 'Rohith Act' is implemented...to fulfil his (Rohith) dreams of social justice on the campus," he said.
Notably, the mother and brother of Dalit research scholar Rohith, who had allegedly committed suicide in a hostel room on the campus on January 17, had last month met political leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Sitaram Yechuri and KC Tyagi, seeking their support for enactment of a 'Rohith Act' against caste discrimination in educational institutions.
Earlier, the HCU authorities categorically said they would not allow outsiders, including media and political party leaders, on the campus in view of the prevailing situation.
HCU vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile's official residence was yesterday vandalised by students and police had to lathicharge another group during their protest against him resuming charge after a two-month leave in the wake of suicide by Vemula.
Asked if he gets a feeling that the suicide issue is being politicised, Podile said he did not think so, adding, that he did not attach any significance to Kumar's visit as "we have nothing to do with that boy".
"As far as our campus is concerned, I don't see same kind of polarisation. We are all one. We are going to work towards solution. There is no politicisation at this time," said Podile.