Who killed Rohith Vemula?

There can be no doubt that the discriminatory treatment meted out by administrators at the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) and the interventions by two central government ministers drove Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula to take his own life. What began as a clash between two student groups on campus, in this case the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), was mishandled to the point that it culminated in the tragic death of Rohith. Rather than allow university officials to settle the matter internally, there is enough documentary evidence to conclude that overzealous politicians chose to isolate five members of the ASA and make life on campus difficult for them. But Rohith’s heartrending suicide note in which he speaks longingly of his love of science and becoming a writer of science, his difficult childhood, and his disillusionment about how his life had turned out, implicates all of us. By failing to take note of the continued discriminatory practices in educational institutions, politicians, judges, media and society are complicit in further marginalising the already marginalised Dalit students. Hailing from a disadvantaged background, Rohith, but by all accounts, was a meritorious student who was also deeply and passionately engaged with the burning political issues of the day.

Rohith’s suicide was as much about caste as it was about political dissent on campuses. That his final letter is silent about caste or politics has been falsely billed as corroboration that neither killed him. On the contrary, it reflected a depressed and defeated man attempting to clutch at other attributes that defined his persona. It is ironic that Union labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya used the term “casteist” to describe Rohith and the other penalised ASA activists in the angry letter he shot off to HRD minister Smriti Irani. It is worth remembering that Rohith and the ASA fought against the discrimination of Dalits on campuses by others for whom the “casteist” tag would suit better. It is unfortunate that the likes of Dattatreya could not appreciate or tolerate the ASA’s or Rohith’s political beliefs, which were inspired by BR Ambedkar. Taking forward Ambedkar’s views that were in favour of abolishing death penalty, the ASA had protested against Yakub Memon’s execution. But to dub these students as “extremist and anti-national” for espousing what was essentially Ambedkar’s politics, Dattatreya betrays his ignorance of history and intolerance for political dissent. Ironically, Parliament feted Ambedkar recently, but the present government’s actions, against the Ambedkar Periyar Student Circle at IIT Madras and the ASA at HCU, indicate a deep discomfort with those who aggressively expound Ambedkar’s ideas.

Condoling Rohith’s death, the HRD minister Smriti Irani cited the Central Universities Act to claim that her ministry was not involved in the day-to-day functioning of the HCU. However, it has now surfaced that the HRD ministry wrote at least four times to the HCU vice-chancellor P Appa Rao demanding an expedited probe. It is hardly surprising then that the vice-chancellor acted under duress and relied on inconclusive probe reports to punish the students. Rohith’s parting grace is evident in the manner in which he blames none for his death, save himself. Contrast this with the failure of the university authorities and ministers to accept even an iota of responsibility for the tragic incident. For years, several instances of discrimination against Dalit students and a significant number of suicides by Dalit students have been reported from Indian universities, especially in Hyderabad. As Rohith’s death shows, despite such precedents, authorities are yet to show greater sensitivity or compassion to these Dalit students, most of whom are first generation learners. The partisan involvement of the central ministers in a dispute between university students reflects poorly on the Union government. That it culminated in a disadvantaged student’s death mandates that heads must roll, so that a strong message is sent to institutional authorities across India.