Rohith Vemula

Rohith Chakravarthi Vemula (30 January 1989 – 17 January 2016) was an Indian PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad. His death by suicide on 17 January 2016 drew attention to the alleged systemic discrimination imposed by the caste social hierarchies and enforced by state institutions, sparking widespread protests on various university campuses in India. Vemula became involved in raising issues of caste injustice on campus under the banner of Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA), an Ambedkarite student organisation. In response, in July 2015 the university stopped paying his monthly stipend of ₹25,000 (equivalent to ₹38,000 or US$390 in 2023) (excluding HRA) with friends alleging that he was targeted involvement with the ASA. A university official denied the allegation, blaming the delay instead on paperwork. On 5 August, the university set up an inquiry against Vemula and four other ASA members, two days after an assault on ABVP leader N. Susheel Kumar. On 17 August, BJP MP and Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya wrote to the HRD Minister urging action and claiming that the "Hyderabad University... has in the recent past, become a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics". After a series of flip-flops, the five were suspended in September. On 17 December, the decision was upheld. After confirmation of the suspension, Vemula committed suicide on 17 January 2016. His death sparked protests and outrage across India and gained widespread media attention as a case of state sponsored discrimination against Dalits in Indian universities. Afterwards, the District Level Scrutiny Committee in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, which was reviewing the Dalit status of Rohith Vemula, submitted its final report to the government stating that neither Vemula nor his mother Radhika were Dalits. His suicide letter became a rallying cry for Dalit youth and was a big factor in the continuation of...