Nalsar Hyderabad students boycotted classes yesterday in response to a protest call by the University of Hyderabad (UoH). The protest lasted for the entire duration of classes scheduled for the day.

Around 100 students of the law school, and some faculty members, gathered at the Thinking Man statue on campus, discussed the “barbaric situation that people in the University of Hyderabad unfortunately find themselves in”, read out the late Rohith Vemula’s suicide note, recited protest poetry written by a Nalsar student, and listened to songs and speeches composed in response to violence that was witnessed at UoH, according to an email from one of the boycotting students.

In the email, the Nalsar student stated:

“A group of students from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, responded to the call for boycott of classes from the University of Hyderabad Joint Action Committee (JAC). Although the boycott was organised on extremely short notice, the student body responded with great fervour and gathered at the Thinking Man statue on campus. We were joined by a few members of the NALSAR faculty as well. The protest was in response to police action at similar gatherings held in various cities in solidarity with the JAC. The JAC has been pushing for the passing of the Rohith Act, the dropping of charges against students and professors of UoH and the resignation of their Vice Chancellor.

At the gathering, we had discussions on a range of issues in the context of the barbaric situation that people in the University of Hyderabad unfortunately find themselves in. The faculty present and a number of students spoke about the importance of dissent, the value of universities as safe spaces and the right to and importance of protest.”