Rahul Gandhi joins midnight march at HCU, to sit on hunger strike today

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today sat for two and half hours in the wee hours along with the students of Hyderabad Central University (HCU) who were on an 18-hour-mass hunger strike. Gandhi who arrived here at 12.10 am spoke to the agitating students and lit candles before Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula's picture.

A member of joint action committee for social justice (University of Hyderabad) said Rahul Gandhi will be joining the hunger strike movement from 6 am today. National Students Union of India (NHUI) National president Roji M John said, Rahul Gandhi will sit in the hunger strike from 6 am to 6 pm today.

"Students called for mass hunger strike. Rahul will also sit in the dharna. This hunger strike will be held in all universities of the country," John told reporters.

As the students raised slogans against HRD minister Smrithi Irani and Union Labour Minister Bandarau Dattatre, Rahul intervened and politely told them not to shout 'murdabad'. "Let us not say murdabad to somebody. That will not do justice," he said.

Three of the students including two research scholars who were earlier suspended, sat on fast unto death demanding the fulfilment of their demands such as sacking and arresting of V-C Appa Rao Podile and dropping of Smrithi Irani and Bandaru Dattaretreya from the cabinet among others.

About 2,000 students organised a candle light march tonight in the campus on Vemula's birthday today. This is Rahul's second visit to Hyderabad since Vemula was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room.

The Congress vice-president had visited the University on January 19 following the suicide by the Dalit scholar and met the agitating students and the family members of Vemula.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Saturday called for a bandh of colleges in Telangana in protest against the "politics over dead bodies" done by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) over the Rohith Vemula issue.

"ABVP strongly opposes the politicisation being done by Rahul Gandhi in Central University at a time when peaceful atmosphere is returning in the university," ABVP national executive member Kadiam Raju said in a statement.

Gandhi should stop the "politics over dead bodies" and help restore normalcy in the HCU, he said.