Kanhaiya Kumar arrives in Hyderabad, HCU suspends classes, bans media from entering in campus

Jawaharlal Nehru University students leader Kanhaiya Kumar is due to visit University of Hyderabad, which yesterday witnessed violent protests after its VC Appa Rao Podile resumed work days after the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula.

New Delhi: Taking a slew of precautionary measures, the University of Hyderabad on Wednesday suspended classes until March 27 and banned the entry of media and outsiders into its campus shorlty ahead of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar's arrival in the city  – a move aimed at re-igniting the Rohith Vemula suicide case.

The move was announced following yesterday's violent protests at the university campus.

Jawaharlal Nehru University students leader Kanhaiya Kumar arrived with a JNU delegation to visit the University of Hyderabad, which yesterday witnessed violent protests after its VC Appa Rao Podile resumed work days after the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula.

The protesting students, who have been protesting ever since Vemula committed suicide inside the varsity campus, vandalised the VC's residence where he was due to address the press in a short while.

The JNUSU president met Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in the national capital yesterday.

Kumar led a delegation of Jawaharlal Nehru University students Union (JNUSU) and All India Students' Federation (AISF) leaders to meet Gandhi at his Tughlak Lane residence.

This was the first time that the Congress vice president has met Kanhaiya since he was released on bail from a prison here where he was lodged following an uproar over alleged anti-national activities at the JNU campus.

The student leader was charged with sedition.

Earlier, Gandhi had come out in full support for Kanhaiya amid the unrest at the JNU.

Kanhaiya was booked and arrested on a charge of involvement in anti-national sloganeering on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus on February 9.