Rohith Vemula is Not a Dalit: Police Give Clean Chit to All Accused in Closure Report

On January 17, 2016, Rohith Vemula died by suicide. The police report stated that Vemula, a student at the University of Hyderabad, was not from the Scheduled Castes as claimed and that his certificate was forged.

The report also suggested that Vemula took his own life out of fear of being exposed. This led to doubts raised by Vemula’s family, prompting the Telangana Director General of Police to announce a decision to further investigate the case.

The accused in the case, including then University of Hyderabad vice-chancellor Appa Rao and BJP leaders such as Bandaru Dattatreya and N Ramchender Rao, were absolved of all charges. The closure report was filed on March 21 and came to light just 10 days before the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections in Telangana.

It is noteworthy that the Congress, which now governs Telangana, had supported the protests seeking justice for Vemula after his death. Vemula’s family alleged that he was harassed and ultimately driven to suicide due to his caste identity and accused members of the BJP-linked Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

They criticized the police for focusing on Vemula’s caste status rather than the treatment he allegedly endured. Protests erupted at the university following the release of the closure report.

The Telangana Director General of Police, Ravi Gupta, announced that further investigation would be conducted into the case due to doubts expressed by Vemula’s mother and others. The closure report indicated that Vemula was aware he did not belong to the Scheduled Caste and that his mother had obtained the certificate for him, which could have driven him to suicide to avoid exposure and potential repercussions.

Finally, the report stated that there was no evidence to establish that the actions of the accused had driven Vemula to commit suicide. University of Hyderabad vice-chancellor Appa Rao reiterated that the charges against him were politically motivated, and the closure report only reinforced this view.