The suspension of five Dalit research scholars from the University of Hyderabad took a tragic turn on Sunday when one of them committed suicide.
Rohith Vemula hanged himself in a hostel room on Sunday evening, police said. The 28-year-old, hailing from the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, was a second year PhD student.
Rohith and four other research scholars were suspended from the university hostel in September following a clash with leaders of right-wing student group Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). They were subsequently expelled from their rooms on 10 January and since then were forced to sleep in a makeshift tent on campus.
Terming the suicide a murder by right-wing groups, Dalit and leftist student groups called for the closure of educational institutions in Telangana on Monday. Dalit and leftist student groups are now protesting against Rohith’s death.
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