Demanding the arrests of persons directly and indirectly responsible for suicide of Rohit Vemula, the Struggle & Solidarity Committee for Justice for Rohit Vemula (SSCJRV) held a meeting in Prakasham Hall, Gandhi Bhavan on August 29, after police denied permission to organise dharna at Indira Park.
Speaking to the media here on Sunday, Indian Constitution architect Dr BR Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar, Prof K Laxminarayana and others alleged that Rohith Vemula, a dalit researcher committed suicide by hanging himself in the hostel room on January 17. Following the death, a case under SC/ST prevention of atrocities Act was filed against the VC, Apparao, Union Ministers, Bandaru Dattatreya and Smriti Irani, MLC, Ramchandar Rao and ABVP leader Shushil Kumar.
They said that even though seven months have passed since the case has been filed, the Telangana police has been delaying to act and to arrest the culprits under the SC/ST atrocity act by involving in the false propaganda of declaring Rohith Vemula as a non-SC. District Collector of Guntur in his report submitted to the National SC Commission has declared that Rohith belongs to SC community precisely Mala and also directed the Cyberabad Police to complete the enquiry and arrest the culprits. Even though 15 days have passed since the National SC Commission has directed the Cyberabad Police, no action has been initiated by the Telangana police, they alleged.
They recalled that the Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrasekhar Rao has already made an announcement four months ago in the Telangana Assembly that he would talk to the central government and see to it that the justice is delivered to the family of Rohith Vemula. They alleged that the response of the Telangana government evidently reflects the discriminatory attitude of Telangana government towards the Dalits and its pro upper caste nature, they charged.
Dr.Anand Teltumbde (Professor IIT, Kharagpur), Theestha Sethlwad, Radhika Vemula (Mother of Rohith Vemula), Prof. K.Laxmi Narayana, B.Laxmaiah (KNPS), Prashanath Dontha (ASA), Arunanak (DSU), Arpita (JAC, UoH), Kota Srinivas (TVS), Syed Azharuddin (SIO), Satish Kumar (TSA), Rajat (Pehel) and others participated in the meeting on August 29.
