Hyd Uni Students Burn Copies of Roopanwala Report on Rohith Vemula

The students had earlier termed the report an attempt to shield two Union ministers and the VC in the suicide case

Accusing the report of being “illegal, mischievous and politically motivated,” students set fire to the copies, in protest.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Joint Action Committee for Social Justice -UoH)

Students at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) burnt copies of the Roopanwal Commission report on 24 August, to vehemently protest against the findings on the death of research scholar Rohith Vemula.

Accusing the report of being “illegal, mischievous and politically motivated,” they set fire to the copies, in protest.

“The report has suited the purpose of ABVP and BJP, going against the evidence available before the commission,” Dontha Prashanth, Rohith's friend from the Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA) was quoted as saying.

Professor K Laxminarayana, who also addressed the protesters, said that the Commission did not carry out its task, which was to investigate the circumstances that led to Vemula’s death.

Also Read: Rohith’s Comrades Slam Roopanwal Commission’s ‘Casteist’ Report

More than one and a half years after the suicide of Rohith Vemula, the Ashok Kumar Roopanwal Commission report was made public last week. The commission was formed after Rohith killed himself in the university on January 17, 2016.

Though the report was leaked to the media in October last year, garnering much outrage, it has been officially released now.

The commission claimed that Rohith was unhappy with 'worldly affairs' and his own problems, which led him to suicide.

“He was frustrated for the reasons best known to him...He also wrote that he was all alone from childhood and was an unappreciated man. This also indicates his frustration. He did not blame anybody for his suicide," the report said.

Also Read: Roopanwal Commission Report: Rohith Vemula’s Ghost Resurfaces

While the report did highlight that the varsity did not have a proper grievance redressal mechanism, it justified the suspension of Rohith along with others, claiming that the administration was not under any pressure.

The report also exonerates union ministers Bandaru Dattatreya and Smriti Irani, claiming that they were only discharging their duties.

The students had earlier termed the report an attempt to shield two Union ministers and the Vice Chancellor in the suicide case.

(This story was first published on The News Minute. It has been republished with permission.)

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