Rohith Vemula Not a Dalit, Police Give Clean Chit to All Accused in Closure Report.

Rohith Vemula died by suicide on January 17, 2016. The police report revealed that he was not from the Scheduled Castes and his certificate was forged.

It was also suggested that his suicide was motivated by fear of being exposed. Due to doubts raised by Vemula’s family, the Telangana Director General of Police announced further investigation into the case.

The accused in Vemula’s case, including University of Hyderabad vice-chancellor Appa Rao and BJP leaders, were absolved of all charges. The closure report was filed on March 21 and has recently come to light, just before elections in Telangana.

The Congress government in Telangana, which was previously ruled by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, had shown support for protests seeking justice for Vemula. Political leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, and Asaduddin Owaisi visited the campus and raised the issue in Parliament.

Vemula’s family alleged that he was harassed and driven to suicide based on his caste identity. They accused the police of focusing on his caste status rather than the treatment he faced.

On Friday, the Telangana Director General of Police announced further investigation into the case based on doubts expressed by Vemula’s mother. The closure report indicated that Vemula was aware that he did not belong to the Scheduled Caste and that his academic achievements could be at risk if exposed.

University protests have erupted in response to these developments. Appa Rao and the BJP maintained that the charges against them were politically motivated, a stance reaffirmed by the closure report.