No One responsible for Rohit Vemula’s Death: Police

Hyderabad: The Cyberabad police on Friday said there was no evidence of abetment in Rohit Vemula’s death by suicide in January 16, 2016. The police also said that Vemula belonged to the Vaddera community, which is a part of BC-A category, and not from the Dalit community.

In the 60-page final closure report to the court in the abetment suicide case of Rohit Vemula, PhD scholar in the University of Hyderabad, which triggered nationwide protests, the investigation officer, Madhapur assistant commissioner of police Ch Sreekanth said they found “no evidence”.

The officer said on January 17, 2016, the then IO received information from UoH security officer T.V. Rao that Vemula had died by suicide at the NRS hostel. A note was found written by Vemula stating that no one was responsible for his act and did not blame anyone. The Gachibowli police registered a case of death under suspicious circumstances.

By the time of police entered the campus, hundreds of students gathered and alleged that then UoH Vice Chancellor Podile Appa Rao, then Secunderabad MP Bandaru Dattatreya, then Union minister Smriti Irani, then MLC N. Rmachander Rao and ABVP leaders Krishna Chaitanya, Nandanam Susheel Kumar and Nandanam Diwakar were responsible for Vemula's death.

Another case was registered under Section of 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code based on a complaint lodged by D. Prashanth.

The investigation officers heard from 59 witnesses including principals of different education institutions where Vemula studied, and his family members. Following the investigation, the police found that Vemula was not a Dalit and the certificate that declared him to be as a person from the Scheduled Caste community was obtained fraudulently. His family belongs to Vaddera community of BC-A in Guntur district, the report said

"The police also found that Rohit Vemula was worried about several issues, which could have caused him to take such an extreme step. No evidence could be found to take action against the accused… The suicide note was also verified by experts from forensic lab, which certified that it was written by Rohit Vemula," the police said. in the final report.