Hyderabad: Members of the Kula Nirmoolana Porata Samithi (KNPS) Telangana, have released a statement against the Roopanwala Comission’s ‘Ill Motif Report’ on the suicide of Rohith Vemula on January 17, 2016. Rohith was a PhD student of the University of Hyderabad and a student activist of the Ambedkar Students’ Association. He was also the author of Caste Is Not A Rumour.
Rohith and four other members of ASA were suspended by the University and his fellowship of Rs 25,000 was stopped. A few days after the suspension, Rohith committed suicide. According to the KNPS statement, out of the fifty-page report, forty pages were spent establishing that Rohith Vemula is not a Dalit which was unnecessary.
Chakravarthy Goud, general secretary of KPNS said, “We are completely against the unjust report submitted by the committee. Instead of focusing on the circumstances that led to his suicide, they concentrated on Rohith’s background.” He further stated that as per the Caste Certification Act 1993, only the Revenue Department possesses the authority to certify the caste whether it is SC, ST or BC.
The KNPS has said that the report must be rejected on the grounds that it was spreading false data and taking the attention away from the issue which was basically the atrocities committed by the university. The report stated, “It is our immediate duty to expose the quackery of the report.” Dontha Prashanth, one of the scholars who had been suspended along with Rohith Vemula wrote a post in her social media account that read, “In a month from now, it would be two years since the unjust order was passed that had expelled five scholars. The implementation of SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989 was diluted by the state government to shield the accused.”
The KNPS members have called for reopening of the case. “How long will the struggle for justice continue? Appa Rao Podile, the vice chancellor and all the forces in MHRD who pressurised the university into taking decisions should be punished, said Chakravarthy.” The police brutality on students and teachers also cannot be forgiven" said Chakravarthy.
