Members of the Students Christian Movement of India and other activists stage a protest in Bengaluru (AFP Photo)
While student protesters have rejected the Hyderabad University's move to cancel the suspension of four Dalit research scholars who were punished along with Rohith Vemula, teachers are reportedly divided.
Here are the latest development:
The students say they will not call off their protest till the university Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile is sacked. On Wednesday, they chased away two professors Mr Podile sent to talk to them.
On Wednesday, four days after Rohith hanged himself on campus, the university had announced that it was revoking the suspension of the other four Dalit students and appealed to protesting students to return to classes.
Mr Vemula's suicide has caused political and public uproar, with students and the opposition alleging that he and the other four were persecuted by caste discrimination. An association of the university's teachers meets this morning to decide their response. Many teachers want classes to resume, but a small group - including Dalit teachers - say the Vice Chancellor must be removed first.
15 Dalit teachers who had resigned early on Thursday, initially said after the suspension was revoked that they would return to their posts, but a sharp backlash from students accusing them of selling out led them to say they would stick with their resignations.
The Dalit teachers have accused Union Education Minister Smriti Irani of distorting facts related to Mr Vemula's death. They say she incorrectly said a panel which suggested punishing the five students was headed by a Dalit teacher, and also that their association had only token representation on the committee.
The government has denied this. Smriti Irani attributed "malicious intent" and alleged "a misrepresentation of facts" while proclaiming Mr Vemula's tragedy was not the end point of a caste battle.
In August, Mr Vemula and the four other students, all members of the Ambedkar Students Association at the Hyderabad University, clashed with the ABVP, the BJP's student wing. Susheel Kumar of the ABVP alleged that he had been assaulted and filed a police case against them.
A preliminary inquiry found no wrong doing by the members of the Ambedkar Students Association; a second investigation found the opposite, leading to the students being suspended.
They were only allowed to attend classes and access the library and were barred from all other common areas like the cafeteria and the hostel.
Political leaders like Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party have visited the Hyderabad University campus to show solidarity with the students.
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