Dalit activists are demanding implementation of the Rohith Vemula Act to combat caste-based discrimination in educational institutions.
Published Jan 19, 2025 | 7:10 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 20, 2025 | 10:03 AM
Public Convention on ‘People’s Movement for Rohith Act’ (Supplied)
“My birth is my fatal accident. I can never recover from my childhood loneliness, the unappreciated child of my past… I feel a growing gap between my soul and my body and have become a monster.”
Rohith Vemula’s final words resonated deeply with the audience at a 19 January event in Bengaluru. The People’s Campaign for Rohith Vemula Act had gathered to call for action against caste-based oppression that continues to haunt India’s educational landscape.
The room fell silent as his mother, Radhika Vemula, recalled her son’s untimely death in 2016 through tears.
“I am not hurt at this moment. I’m not sad. I’m just empty.” He penned these words in his final moments, laying bare the emotional torment that drove him to take his life.
“Do not shed tears for me. Know that I am happier dead than alive,” Rohith wrote, offering a chilling reminder of how systemic discrimination pushed him to the edge.
Dontha Prashanth, speaking at the event highlighted the emotional distress Dalit students face. (Supplied)
The People’s Campaign for Rohith Vemula Act gathered in Bengaluru, calling for action against caste-based oppression that continues to haunt India’s educational landscape.
The event highlighted the urgency to pass the Rohith Act, a proposed legal framework that aims to end caste-based discrimination in higher education, drawing inspiration from Rohith Vemula’s life and death.
Dontha Prashanth, Rohith Vemula’s close friend, called his death an “institutional murder” at the event, pointing to systemic caste discrimination that continues to plague India’s educational institutions.
Prashanth spoke passionately about how Dalit students struggle even before entering these institutions. He recalled the social boycott Rohith and four other Dalit students endured at the University of Hyderabad, facing derogatory slurs and systematic alienation.
“In educational institutions like the University of Hyderabad, Dalit students often find themselves fighting not just for their education, but for their very dignity,” Prashanth said.
He described how these spaces, meant to equalise, instead foster caste-based violence – both overt and covert.
The Rohith Vemula Act aims to address this deep-rooted injustice, highlighted by the rejection of affirmative action policies and consistent suppression of Dalit students’ voices.
Radhika Vemula, Rohith’s mother, spoke passionately at the event, her personal journey reflecting the struggle of countless marginalised families.
Radhika Vemula, tearfully recalled the anguish of her son’s death. (Supplied)
“Rohith was always sharp, always diligent. But he faced hardships at every turn, from facing mistreatment in his hostel to struggling with financial support,” she said. “I fought with him, pushed him to keep studying, even when we struggled to make ends meet.”
Radhika’s story is one of resilience and unbearable loss. She reflected on the systemic forces that led to her son’s death, demanding a law to protect Dalit students like Rohith.
“The Rohith Act should give strength to the kids. It should ensure that no one has to go through what my son went through,” she said, her voice tinged with sorrow and resolve.
The need for the Rohith Vemula Act has never been more urgent, advocate Mrudula V told South First.
“We need to start by engaging with the people who face caste discrimination directly. We need to understand their challenges before drafting laws that can truly make a difference,” she said.
“There are earlier drafts of such a law, including the NCDHR [National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights] draft from 2016, but there has been no widespread discussion or mobilisation around them, besides casteism has evolved since 2016,” she added.
“We must include people from SC, ST, BCs, and minorities in the committee drafting the Rohith Act,” Radhika Vemula said. “We need to track how many students enrol, how many drop out, and why they leave. The Act must empower these students, give them a voice, and ensure they receive dignity and respect.”
Rohith’s legal representative, who requested anonymity, says political and administrative interference continues to delay the inquiry into his caste status.
Despite evidence confirming his Dalit identity, the report that should have clarified this issue has yet to be released.
“The irony is that while false charges have been filed against those supporting the anti-caste movement, the institutional murder of Rohith, supported by documentary evidence, is being dismissed with a closure report,” the legal representative explained.
“The case was reopened only after public outcry, and this reflects the deeply entrenched systemic biases that the Rohith Act seeks to address.”
The Bengaluru convention served both as a reflection on Rohith’s tragic death and a call to prevent future losses. The gathering highlighted Dalit students’ ongoing fight for dignity and equality in spaces meant for intellectual growth.
“We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for fairness, for the right to exist as equals in these spaces. The Rohith Vemula Act is not just about one man’s death; it’s about ensuring that no more lives fall to the poison of caste discrimination,” Prashanth said.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
