Cong demands Justice in Rohith Vemula case, citing investigation inconsistencies

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday said there were many discrepancies in the investigation conducted previously into Rohith Vemula's death in 2016 and asserted that its government in Telangana will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice for his family.

Police in Telangana have filed a closure report before a court in its probe into the death of Rohith Vemula, a student of the University of Hyderabad, claiming he was not a Dalit and died by suicide in 2016 as he feared that his ''real caste'' would be discovered.

Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, said Rohith Vemula's death was a grave atrocity that completely exposed the ''anti-Dalit mindset'' of the BJP.

''The Congress, including Rahul Gandhi ji, has stood with Rohith Vemula's family through this difficult period,'' he said in a post on X.

As has been clarified by the Telangana Police, the closure report concerned was prepared in June 2023, Venugopal said.

''There were many discrepancies in the investigation conducted previously. The Congress government in Telangana will leave no stone unturned to ensure justice for Rohith's family,'' he asserted. The Congress came to power in the state last year by defeating the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

''Not only that, when we form a government at the Centre, we will pass a Rohith Vemula Act, specifically addressing the issue of caste and communal atrocities on campuses to ensure no student coming from socio-economic backwardness has to face the same plight as Rohith ever again,'' he said.

Venugopal's remarks came a day after Rohith Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula met Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad and urged him to see to it that ''justice'' is done to the family.

Reddy assured her that an investigation would be conducted again into the University of Hyderabad student's suicide in 2016 and that justice would be done.

The chief minister assured that a fair and transparent investigation would be conducted further, Rohith Vemula's brother Raja Vemula said.

Talking to reporters on Saturday evening at the University of Hyderabad, Rohith Vemula's mother Radhika Vemula took exception to the observation in the closure report that her son did not belong to the Scheduled Castes (SC).

''My son belongs to SC. I am a Dalit. How can police say that my son is not SC. Police don't enquire about caste (it is not their job). That is a false campaign,'' she had said.

She also found fault with an argument that Rohith Vemula died because he did not excel in studies. Her son excelled in studies, she claimed.

Telangana DGP Ravi Gupta has already announced to conduct further investigation into the case in view of the doubts expressed by Rohith Vemula's mother and others on the closure report.