Hyderabad: The bereaved family members of Rohith Vemula, the Dalit PhD scholar who committed suicide, did not receive any word of consolation from the University of Hyderabad administration when they went to the university on Monday.
Rohith’s mother Radhika Vemula and younger brother Raja Vemula and some of the deceased’s relatives and close friends from his native Guntur made a futile attempt to meet Vice-Chancellor Prof Appa Rao Podile. The mother was left weeping and complaining in anguish. At one point, her pulse weakened and she was rushed to the university’s health center. She was upset also for the reason that the university did not bother to inform the family of Rohith’s suspension.
Raja said, “We just wanted to meet the V-C to have some clarity on the incidents preceding the suicide, but he didn’t show the courtesy to meet us. He should be suspended.”
Radhika had moved to Uppal, Hyderabad from Guntur about 20 days ago so that she could stay close to her two sons. Raja works on a project fellowship at NGRI. The mother had not met Rohith since she came to Hyderabad and was expecting that he would come to meet her Sunday.
That turned out to be the day he committed suicide. As per one of Rohith’s relatives, his father who works a watchman in Guntur is an alcoholic and never cared for his sons. Raja said, “Rohith used to tell me now and then that there were troubles in the university. He informed me about the suspension from the hostel only two days before he ended his life.”
“Sometimes, he sounded worried. Once when I asked him what he would do if things went wrong, he said he would come back to Guntur and set up some business. He was always involved in the university issues. So much so, he didn’t attend his own brother's engagement in December.”
V-C Appa Rao: Did no wrong
University of Hyderabad Vice Chancellor Prof Appa Rao Podile said here on Monday that he did no wrong in the events leading up to research scholar Rohith Vemula’s suicide on the campus on Sunday.
He said that the incident leading to the suspension of Rohith and others happened before he became the Vice Chancellor. After he became the VC, he has ensured that the punishment given to Rohith and others was not harsh. After his discussions with professors it was decided that the students/research scholars will be suspended only from the hostel, he said.
