25 Hyderabad University students get bail in connection with vandalism at V-C's lodge

New Delhi: A local court on Monday granted bail to 25 students and two faculty members of the Hyderabad University who were arrested on charges of vandalising the Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile's lodge during a protest last week. 

All of the accused were granted bail on a one time surety of Rs 5000 each. They also have to appear before police station once a week.

On Tuesday last week, a group of of university students and some faculty members staged protest outside Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile lodge, who rejoined work after nearly two months on leave.

Initially, the protest was peaceful but the scene turned ugly when some protesters pelted stones at the cops on duty. 

Police bundled out many students out of the campus, triggering strong protest by teaching and non-teaching staff members. Police also arrested few students and faculty members.

The police action came after the students, who have been protesting ever since Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide inside the varsity campus, barged into the office of the vice-chancellor and ransacked the furniture.

Appa Rao had gone on leave on January 24 amid massive protests on the campus over the suicide of Rohith Vemula.

The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, an umbrella grouping of various students' bodies, has blamed Appa Rao, central ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya and a leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for the suspension of five Dalit students, one of whom Rohith committed suicide on January 17.

Rohith, 26, committed suicide by hanging himself in the Hyderabad Central University campus in January. He was earlier suspended from the university hostel in August last year by the administration for allegedly attacking an ABVP leader.

The university had allegedly stopped giving scholarship to Rohith after the incident which led to financial hardship and culminated in his suicide.