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

The death of Vemula on January 17, 2016, was ruled a suicide. The police report indicated that Vemula may have taken his own life out of fear of being exposed, and the validity of his Scheduled Caste certificate was also called into question. The police identified several individuals, including the then University of Hyderabad vice-chancellor and BJP leaders, as accused in the case, but they were eventually cleared of all charges.

Following doubts raised by Vemula’s family, the Telangana Director General of Police announced a decision to further investigate the case. The closure report was filed on March 21, but it only came to light shortly before upcoming elections in Telangana. The Congress government in Telangana has been supportive of seeking justice regarding Vemula’s death, with senior leaders such as Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal getting involved.

The family accused the police of focusing on Vemula’s caste status rather than the harassment he allegedly faced. In response to these concerns, the Telangana Director General of Police announced plans for additional investigation based on doubts expressed by Vemula’s mother and others. The police closure report cited various issues that may have led to Vemula’s suicide but found no evidence to establish that the accused individuals were responsible.

The University of Hyderabad also saw protests in response to these developments. The closure report was seen as reaffirming the claims of political motivation for the charges by one of the accused individuals.