Rohith Vemula is a name that the current government would like to forget as soon as possible. But despite all efforts, the name repeatedly makes it to the headlines and national discussion. Despite the departure of the then MHRD Minister Smriti Irani, the controversy refuses to die down. The dispute already has garnered enough headlines. The latest news is about a report by Justice Roopanwal Commission, which was constituted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
This report is not yet public and all the responses on it are regarding the media report.
The thing that is being given the most importance in the media report is that according to the Roopanwal Commission, Rohith Vemula’s mother is not a Dalit and therefore, Rohith was not a Dalit either.
Although, issuance or verification of caste certificate comes under the District Collector’s ambit and Rohith Vemula’s home district Guntur’s Collector Kantilal Dande, in the commission’s report that was sent to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, it was mentioned that Rohith belonged to the Scheduled Caste category.
The report cites documents present with Guntur’s district officer and on the basis of it, Rohith’s caste has been declared as ‘Mala’. This was reported in June this year.
The Controversy Over Caste
The controversy over Rohith Vemula’s caste began on 21 January 2016 itself, when the then HRD Minister Smriti Irani, in a press conference in Delhi, had claimed that Rohith was an OBC and not a Dalit.
On 17 January, Rohith Vemula’s body was found in Hyderabad Central University’s hostel room and protests erupted immediately in many cities across the country.
Despite the agitations, the controversy didn’t subside and the Human Resource Development Ministry appointed a one-member investigation committee headed by Retired Justice AK Roopanwal.
The Commission was assigned two tasks by releasing a notification:
- Examining the circumstances and facts, which led to the death of PhD Scholar Rohith Vemula and bringing the perpetrator, if any, to task.
- To review the functioning of the grievance committee and suggest measures for its improvement.
It is surprising that four of the 12 pages of the judgement report of the investigation committee have been dedicated to telling the caste of Rohith Vemula, especially because the committee was not even asked to find out Vemula’s caste in the first place.
It is the responsibility of the District Collector, who has already submitted his report to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
The SC Commission has been granted constitutional status and in the cases of caste oppression, enjoys quasi-judicial powers of investigation.
The Chairman of the Commission, PL Poonia has raised questions on why the committee headed by Justice Roopanwal submitted its report on an issue it was not even asked to investigate.
What Is the Reason Behind Establishing Rohith as an OBC?
What is the reason behind claiming Rohith Vemula as an OBC and even if he were an OBC, what difference would it have made to the case?
To learn the reason, we would have to see the case diary of the Hyderabad Gachibowli station.
Rohith Vemula’s case, Diary Number 20/2016, has been registered under Section 306 of the IPC and SC Atrocities Prevention Act Section 3 (1) (ix), (x) and 3 (2) (vii). These are non-bailable sections. This was mentioned in the answer of a question numbered 906 in the Rajya Sabha by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
These clauses will work if it is established that Rohith Vemula belonged to the Schedule Caste.
Why Is There Political Interference?
Other than this, Rohith Vemula’s case is also a clear example of political interference in university campuses. Two student organisations in the Hyderabad Central University – the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad (ABVP) and Ambedakar Students’ Association –were fighting.
Even if we do not go to the root of the matter as to who was right and who was wrong, even then the question remains why the Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya wrote a letter to Union Minister Smriti Irani on taking action against this feud.
Bandaru Dattatreya is neither a minister of the concerned department nor does the university fall under his constituency. Taking cognisance of Dattatreya’s letter, the Human Resource Ministry not only wrote a letter to the university, but had also issued a reminder that action should be taken in the case of any delay.
Eventually, the university took disciplinary action against Rohith Vemula and five other students of the Ambedkar Students’ Association. As a result, they had to leave their hostels and take shelter at the pavements.
One important thing is that the expulsion case of the five students is already pending in the Hyderabad High court. This is another reason why the one-member committee should refrain from commenting on the expulsion.
The leak of the Roopanwal Commission’s report may have an impact on the proceedings of the ongoing case in the High Court.
(The story has been translated from The Quint, Hindi by Harshita Murarka and Sameeksha Khare)
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