Dalit scholar suicide: Government will not intervene, says HRD minister Smriti Irani

Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Smriti Irani asserted that she will not make any 'political' statement at the moment, since law and order was a subject of the state.

New Delhi: Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Smriti Irani has flatly refused any intervention by the government in the suicide of a Dalit scholar from the Hyderabad University and said that a two-member team has been sent to the varsity from the ministry to take stock of the situation.

"In a time of grief like this, I express my condolences to the family who lost their son. We have sent a two-member team from the ministry who will apprise us of the situation in the university. Everyone knows that in Central Universities, the administrative control belongs only to the varsity. The government has no role to play," Irani told ANI.

She asserted that she will not make any 'political' statement at the moment, since law and order was a subject of the state.

"Will have to wait until the reports comes, will be inappropriate to say anything until then," Irani added.

Earlier, the Congress branded the BJP-led NDA Government as 'anti-Dalit' amid the ongoing uproar over the suicide by a Dalit scholar from the University of Hyderabad and demanded immediate removal of the varsity's Vice-Chancellor.

They also demanded that Irani visit the University to personally take stock of the situation.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police detained several students, who were protesting outside the Human Resource and Development (HRD) Ministry in the national capital to vent their ire over suicide of the Dalit scholar.

To bring the situation under control, the police personnel deployed on duty also used water cannons to control the agitating students.

One of the five dalit scholars, expelled from the University of Hyderabad 12 days ago, hanged himself to death last night.