HCU Students, Professors Get Bail

Hyderabad: A city court here on Monday granted bail to 25 students and two faculty members of University of Hyderabad, arrested last week for ransacking the office of Vice Chancellor Prof. P. Appa Rao and attacking police while protesting his return after two-month leave.

The 25th Metropolitan Magistrate's court at Miyapur pronounced the orders on the bail pleas as the Telangana government chose not to oppose the petitions. The court asked the accused to arrange surety of Rs.5,000 each and appear before Gachibowli police station every week till the final disposal of the case. Earlier, the public prosecutor did not file a counter to the bail plea, paving the way for grant of the leave.

The students and faculty members, currently lodged in Cherlapally jail, may be released late Monday evening or Tuesday. Following the release the students are planning to take out a rally from Cherlapally jail to HCU campus. However, police are not in favour of granting permission to the proposed rally. Politicians from several parties met the arrested students at the Cherlappaly jail and demanded their immediate release.

A section of varsity students want the sacking and arrest of Appa Rao, holding him responsible for the suicide of research scholar Rohit Vemula. Police arrested 25 students and two professors on March 22 when they staged a protest over Appa Rao resuming charge as the vice chancellor. They blamed Appa Rao for the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohit Vemula.