The police contended that his caste certificates were fraudulent, resulting in the closure of the case due to a lack of evidence.
The Telangana Police announced the closure of its inquiry into the tragic demise of University of Hyderabad (UoH) student Rohith Vemula, claiming that he was not a Dalit and alluded that his death by suicide had been driven by apprehensions about his “real identity” being revealed.
Meanwhile, the state’s Director-General of Police (DGP) Ravi Gupta, ordered further investigation into the matter on Friday and announced plans to petition the court for permission to reopen the suicide case.
“As some doubts have been expressed by the mother and others of the deceased Rohit Vemula on the investigation conducted, it has been decided to conduct further investigation into the case. A petition will be filed in the Court concerned requesting the Hon’ble Magistrate to permit further investigation into the case,” a statement from Gupta’s office read.
This comes after the Cyberabad police concluded their investigation into his death and filed a closure report with a local court, claiming that Rohith was not a member of the Scheduled Caste and that he was aware of it.
According to the police report, the deceased had multiple issues weighing on him, which might have played a role in his decision to end his life.
“In addition to this, the deceased himself was aware that he did not belong to Scheduled Caste and that his mother got him a SC certificate. This could be one of the constant fears, as the exposure of the same would result in a loss of his academic degrees that he earned over the years and be compelled to face prosecution,” the report said.
The police contended that his caste certificates were fraudulent, resulting in the closure of the case due to a lack of evidence.
Meanwhile, the police also cleared the then Secunderabad MP Bandaru Dattatreya, Member of Legislative Council N Ramachander Rao, UoH Vice Chancellor Appa Rao, ABVP leaders, and then Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani of any wrongdoing in the case.
The report also underscored that no evidence could be found to substantiate the assertion that the actions of the accused drove the deceased to suicide.
Rohith Vemula, a research scholar at the University of Hyderabad in India, tragically died by suicide on January 17, 2016, sparking widespread outrage and protests across the country.
Vemula’s death snowballed into a political controversy, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi taking on the Central government in Parliament and Smriti Irani slamming alleged attempts to project it as a caste battle.
In a poignant final note, Vemula had expressed how he believed his birth was a “fatal accident,” reflecting on the deep sense of despair and discrimination he experienced before his tragic death.
“The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind. As a glorious thing made up of star dust. In every field, in studies, in streets, in politics, and in dying and living,” Rohith wrote in his note.
His death brought attention to issues of caste discrimination and social inequality in India’s higher education system and highlighted the challenges faced by Dalit students in academic institutions.
Speaking to TNIE in 2018, writer and Dalit rights activist Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd said, “Rohith’s death had triggered the Dalit movement and the ideological debate surrounding the discrimination of the oppressed committee. The incident will have a long-term effect as it has led to many protests, discourses and meetings on a national level. In Telanagana, the powerful emergence of the Bahujan left and the mobilisation of Dalit students has been empowering.”