70 students arrested as fresh protests erupt in Hyderabad University
Students who have been demanding Vice Chancellor Appa Rao's removal were forcibly dumped into police vans after they broke open the campus gates which were closed. The protesters had tried to approach Vice Chancellor Appa Rao, who was in a meeting of the Academic Council.
The Council was discussing the appointment of an ombudsman, an anti-discrimination officer and an Equal Opportunity Cell.
Students demanded that Rao be kept out of the process to select an ombudsman - as directed by a court - alleging that "he is also under scrutiny" for his role in the death of Rohith Vemula, the Dalit scholar of the university, whose suicide last month ignited unending protests and agitation.
Rohith Vemula's suicide has been held up as protesters as an example of deep-seated caste discrimination on campus, which, they allege has been encouraged by the Vice Chancellor.
26-year-old Vemula hanged himself on January 17, days after he was banned from the hostel and other areas on campus over clashes with an activist from a BJP-linked students' group.
Vemula's supporters allege that he was ostracized for being a Dalit. T
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