Hyderabad: Two years after the death of Rohith Vemula, a PhD student at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) who committed suicide after facing caste discrimination, his family has accepted Rs 8 lakh as ex gratia payment from the university. However, they say that this does not mean that they have reached a compromise with the university.
The family declined the amount in 2016 because they thought the money was being offered by the Appa Rao Podile, the Vice- Chancellor of UoH. Radhika Vemula, Rohith’s mother, said, “I thought they were trying to buy my silence. However, after receiving legal advice and advice from my supporters, I have learnt that the money is not being paid by him. It is being paid by the university in compliance with the orders of the National Comm-ission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).” She said that the NCSC had been a great help during the Justice for Rohith Vemula campaign. She said that R.L. Punia, the head of the NCSC, had declared that Rohith was a Dalit and slammed the findings of the Roopanwal Commission.
She also released a statement saying, “I will always be conscious of my responsibility and promise to never let down the cause for which my son laid down his life. I will not rest until the wrong-doers involved in my son’s crimes are punished.”
She said that she was releasing the statement to ensure that no one believed that she had struck a deal with the university as the compensation was rightfully due to Rohith’s family and dependents.
Rohith’s brother Raja Vemula also stated that they would only accept the cheque if it was not handed over to them by the Vice Chancellor.
