Cyberbad Police Awaits Reply From Guntur Collector On Rohith Vemula’s Caste Status

Hyderabad: Cyberabad Police on Wednesday said they are awaiting reply from Guntur Collector on the caste status of research scholar Rohit Vemula, who committed suicide on the University of Hyderabad (UoH) campus here on January 17, to enable them to finalise investigation in the case.

"It (Vemula's death) was unfortunate. To finalise investigation in the case (registered under) SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act we need to have certificate/report from the Tahsildar or Collector with regard to the caste of the deceased (Vemula)," Cyberabad Police Commissioner Sandeep Shandilya said.

The suicide of Vemula had triggered a huge political furore with the then HRD minister Smriti Irani coming under attack along with Dattatreya for having written a letter related to the matter

"There is some problem in that regard. We (Cyberabad Police) have written several times to the Collector and that reply/report based on which we can proceed in this case that is not there. If the Collector gives reply to the letters we can finalise investigation into the case," he added.

Shandilya said he had already met officials of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), who are also following this case. "As of now due to police (investigations into) this case is not delayed," he asserted.

Vemula's suicide on January 17 at the UoH had sparked massive nationwide protests, resulting in a fierce political slugfest, with a string of political parties and Dalit organisations siding with students and accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party and varsity administration of being anti-Dalit.

A group of students under Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, which spearheaded the protests, had held UoH Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile responsible for the suicide of the research scholar.

Earlier, Gachibowli Police under Cyberabad Commissionerate had registered case against Appa Rao, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and others under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abetment of Vemula's suicide.

The suicide of Vemula had triggered a huge political furore with the then HRD minister Smriti Irani coming under attack along with Dattatreya for having written a letter related to the matter.

Raising questions on Rohit Vemula's Dalit status, a commission constituted by HRD ministry after the scholar's death had said the material on record did not establish it and attributed his suicide to personal reasons.

The Justice Roopanwal Commission, in its report to the HRD ministry, had given a clean chit to Smriti Irani and Dattatreya, sources had earlier said.

However, the NCSC Chairman P L Punia had rejected the judicial commission's report on Vemula's suicide as “fake and fictitious”, and said the deceased research scholar was a Dalit.