We the undersigned women’s organizations strongly condemn the brutal manner in which students and teachers were severely beaten by the Telengana police in a brutal lathicharge at the Central University of Hyderabad yesterday, when they were protesting the resumption of duties of the Vice Chancellor Appa Rao, who is facing legal action in the institutional death of Rohit Vemula.
In particular we strongly protest the manner in which women students have been targeted and subject to physical and verbal abuse. They were dragged in front of their departments and kicked in the stomach so hard that some of them even vomited. The police were heard to be threatening them with rape and telling them to behave like “girls” and that “you will be cut to pieces.”
We also condemn the manner in which the students have been put under siege, by sealing the university, cutting off access to the internet, and disconnecting water supply, and stopping supplies of food. Many students have been denied medical attention and have been detained.
We express our deepest solidarity with the students and staff of University of Hyderabad. A Vice Chancellor who himself is a criminal accused in the case of Rohith Vemula remains a silent bystander to this brutal violation of human rights has no right to continue in his post.
AIDWA, NFIW, JWP, GOS, AIWC,
AIDMAM, YWCA
