Suspended Dalit Scholar Ends Life, Students Blame Administration

Dalit scholar from University of Hyderabad allegedly commits suicide after being expelled for tiff with ABVP.

Rohith Vemula, a Dalit research scholar from the University of Hyderabad, hanged himself in a hostel room. (Photo: Twitter)

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.