Hyderabad University: 50 teachers go on leave

The development came a  day after 25 people were granted bail and released from jail for the violent protests held on campus last Tuesday.

The teachers include about 40 from  Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. 

The teachers said their protest was also against Vice Chancellor P. Appa Rao, whose return triggered fresh bout of violent protest on the campus last week.

Meanwhile, a  number of  students joined classes on Tuesday after the Joint Action Committee urged students and faculty to return to classes wearing blue ribbons on their sleeves as mark of protest

Unrest prevailed in the university  on March 2 when the vice chancellor resumed office after a two-month leave following the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. Students alleged Rao was responsible for Vemula’s suicide, and demanded his immediate arrest.

Appa Rao had gone on leave after he was named in the First Information Report (FIR). The students had lost classes for two weeks due to the protests.

The university registrar suspended classes till March 28 due to the  violence.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) for Social Justice that is pursuing Vemula’s case, however, asked students to resume their academic schedule while protesting as the semester was ending and this is a crucial time for them.