Rohit Vemula was troubled individual, didn’t commit suicide over University action: Inquiry Commission

The Justice (retd.) AK Roopanwal Commission, which was constituted by the HRD Ministry to look into the circumstances leading to the death of Rohith Vemula at Hyderabad Central University, has said that the Dalit scholar was a troubled individual and didn’t commit suicide over University action.

The report, that was made public on Tuesday stated that Rohith Vemula committed suicide of his own volition.

"His suicide note is on the record which shows that Rohith Vemula had his own problems and was not happy with worldly affairs," reported Times of India, quoting the report of Justice A K Roopanwal.

"He was frustrated for the reasons best known to him...He also wrote that he was all alone from childhood and was an unappreciated man. This also indicates his frustration. He did not blame anybody for his suicide," the report said.

The report also said that if he would have been angry with the decision of the university, certainly either he would have written in specific words or would have indicated in this regard. "Vemula did not do the same. It shows that the circumstances prevailing in the university at that time were not the reasons for committing the suicide." the report said.

Rohith Vemula, 27, committed suicide on January 17, 2016 in a hostel room in Hyderabad Central University where he was a PhD scholar after he and four others were suspended from the hostel last year and restrictions were put on their movement by the university administration as part of disciplinary action for allegedly assaulting ABVP leader N Susheel Kumar. 

Vemula's suicide had triggered a huge political storm with opposition parties launching a massive attack on the Union Government over the issue.