Rohith suicide: Rahul joins protest, says a young life full of dreams was cut short

Hyderabad: Congress Vice President on Saturday joined protestors in their mass hunger strike at the Hyderabad University campus, seeking justice for dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who committed suicide two weeks ago.

"A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short. I am here today at the request of Rohith's friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice. We owe it to him, to the memory of Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice," he tweeted in support of Rohith.

A mass protest has been organised on Saturday, the day when Rohith would have turned 27. Rahul arrived in Hyderabad late on Friday night and joined a midnight candlelight march at the University. Four university students who were suspended along with Rohith are leading the hunger strike. Rohith's mother Radhika and brother Raju are also present at the protest site.

Meanwhile, over 50 activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) were detained for protesting against Rahul's visit on Friday. Congress student wing National Students' Union Of India (NSUI) will be launching peaceful protests in Delhi later in the day in support of Rohith.

This is Rahul's second visit to Hyderabad since Rohith committed suicide. Slamming Rahul, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) termed his visit as "classic politics of vulturisation". "Rahul Gandhi and Congress are so politically bankrupt and unemployed that he has to politicise tragic death of a student repeatedly," Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said.

"Why is Rahul Gandhi not in Chennai, where three girls' committed suicide almost a week ago. His desperate attempt to earn some petty political expediency, has brought him back to HCU campus. This is classic politics of vulturisation," Rao said.