Hyderabad court issues bail to students, threatened with rape reportedly

Hyderabad: A Hyderabad court has granted bail to 25 students and two lectures, who were arrested for a violent protest against the vice-chancellor of University of Hyderabad last week. On Monday, the court granted bail on a one-time surety of Rs 5,000 each and directed them to appear before a police station once in a week. The students were booked on charges of rioting and voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty, among others.

Hundreds of students of the institute have launched a campaign demanding V-C Appa Rao Podile’s immediate removal and his arrest for his alleged role in the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, as a debate raged over caste discrimination.

The government did not oppose bail for the group that was arrested; Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has said he will ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the Vice Chancellor.