Vemula’s mum alleges vendetta

University of Hyderabad witnesses tense scenes as Dalits mark activist’s death anniversary

Radhika Vemula, mother of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, has alleged that the authorities of universities and political parties were hounding and killing Dalit students.

Radhika, who was detained along with dozens of students by the Cyberabad city police last night when she tried to barge into the University of Hyderabad (UOH) campus, to mark the first death anniversary of Rohith, was strongly critical of the way the UoH authorities clamped down on the protesters.

Referring to the circumstances in which Rohith took his own life last year, Radhika said: “BJP and state governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and the UOH authorities are trying to kill all the Dalit students who are pursuing their PG and PhD studies at universities so that there won’t be any competition for higher castes kids. Otherwise why would they suspend Dalit students at Lucknow, JNU, UOH,” she asked.

Tense scenes were witnessed at the main gates of the university as students and activists of various organisations tried to enter the campus en-masse and hundreds of guards of the university and police prevented them. The joint action committee for social justice, an umbrella organisation of students also organised another programme inside the campus where students garlanded the statue and portraits of Rohith Vemula, hailing him as martyr for the cause of Dalits.

Radhika and her other son Raja Vemula among others also tried to reach the statue but their attempt was foiled. “They can’t keep me away from my son,” Radhika shouted.