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Telangana CM Revanth Reddy explains why the Congress promised Rohith Vemula Act in its manifesto
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
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Summary
In an exclusive interaction with CNN-News18, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said that Vemula’s closure report was wrong.
As part of its Lok Sabha election manifesto, the Congress Party has pledged to pass a ‘Rohith Vemula Act’ to address the issue of caste and communal atrocities on campuses if they form the government at the Centre. The 47-page manifesto of the Congress, titled Nyay Patra, or Document for Justice, was released on April 6.
In an exclusive interaction with CNN-News18, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said that Vemula’s closure report was wrong. Reddy claimed that “it was KCR’s ploy with the BJP. We will ensure a fair investigation with evidence.”
On the issue of reservation, Reddy reiterated that the Congress wants a caste-based census. He also alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideology is that quotas should be removed.
“They are against reservation and that is why they want 400 seats and they are breaking parties in states also so that they can change the Constitution,” Reddy told CNN-News18.
Speaking further on Vemula, Reddy said Vemula’s mother has claimed he was murdered, and as a CM, it is “my duty to ensure a fair probe”.
Reddy’s stance comes a day after Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said when they form a government, they will pass the Act, “specifically addressing the issue of caste and communal atrocities on campuses to ensure no student coming from socio-economic backwardness has to face the same plight as Rohith ever again.”
The Telangana Police recently submitted a closure report in the controversial suicide case, claiming that he was not a Dalit and his reasons for taking the extreme step was because of the fear that his “real caste” would be discovered.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Venugopal also said, “The Congress government in Telangana will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice for Rohith’s family.” He also said that the Telangana Police has clarified that the concerned closure report was prepared in June 2023.
Rohith Vemula suicide case: A background
The University of Hyderabad, where Vemula was enrolled as a PhD scholar, stopped his monthly stipend in July 2015, leading to accusations of targeted discrimination owing to his activism under the banner of Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), a student organisation fighting for the rights of Dalits on the campus. Officials, however, denied the allegation, saying the delay was due to “paperwork”, as per a News18 report.
On August 5, 2015, Rohith and four other ASA members faced a probe, two days after they allegedly assaulted a leader of the BJP’s student wing, the ABVP. They all denied the charge, and the university cleared them in an initial inquiry, the News18 report said.
The situation reportedly escalated further after the then BJP MP Bandaru Dattatreya characterised the university as being a hotbed of “casteist, extremist, and antinational politics”, the report added.
This intervention reportedly resulted in the suspension of all five students in September 2015 and the decision was upheld on December 17, 2015, the News18 report further added.
Vemula, along with his fellow suspended students, resorted to a hunger protest in protest against the financial strain and institutional ostracisation.
However, on January 17, 2016, Vemula tragically took his own life. His death became a focal point and sparked widespread outrage and protests across the country, with many demanding justice for him and calling attention to issues of caste discrimination and institutional apathy within educational institutions.
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