Central Executive Committee of the Students’ Federation of India express deep grief over the suicide by a dalit research scholar from the Hyderabad Central University. Rohith Vemula was among the five Dalit students who were facing ‘social boycott’ at the hands of the university administration. It is important to underline the series of incidents that are behind the death of this bright, young student. Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad MLC from BJP along with the ABVP intervened to paint these students as anti-nationals and extremists for their crime of organizing a documentary screening on Muzaffarnagar riots and questioning the hanging of Afzal Guru. Dattatreya in fact wrote a letter to the MHRD asking for strict action against these students. All this was preceded by a scuffle between Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA) and ABVP, in which both the sides were given an official warning by the proctor of the university. However, what followed it since the undue political pressure was an unjust punishment- All the five students were restricted to enter into hostels, administration building and all common places in groups. A Joint Action Committee for Social Justice had been waging the movement to revoke this unjust punishment.
 
In the last few years, scores of students have been forced to committee suicide in the premier educational institutes of the country. It is enough to expose the casteist administration of these institutes. This death should haunt all those who stand for a just and egalitarian order. CEC of SFI demands that a judicial enquiry be conducted into the matter and all the guilty be held responsible for pushing Rohith Vemula to suicide.

17 January, 2016