Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Saturday announced that the Rohith Vemula Act would be enacted in the state as soon as possible. Earlier in the day, University of Hyderabad (UoH) students staged a class boycott and staged a campus march to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the scientist’s death. Rohith Vemula. Vemula died on 17 January 2016 by suicide at the UoH hostel, an event that sparked nationwide protests.
Vikramarka met the Justice for Rohith Vemula campaign committee at Praja Bhavan and noted that opposition leader Rahul Gandhi had recently interacted with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to push for the introduction of the law.
In a Hindi social media post on X on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi confirmed that the Congress-led governments in Telangana and Karnataka they are currently working on the implementation of this law.
“Dalit youth — raise your voice, organize, stand together. Demand: Implement the Rohit Vemula Act now. We need an anti-discrimination law now,” he stressed.
A coalition of Ambedkar activists and intellectuals in Karnataka recently created a formal bill on Rohith Vemula, marking a decade of the movement. The Deputy CM assured the committee that the state government is committed to the legislation after consultation with the Chief Minister. The committee submitted a proposal prepared in Karnataka to Vikramarka and called for a transparent probe into the Vemula case to ensure long-awaited justice.
In addition, the group sought legal relief for 50 students and two faculty members who are facing charges over the 2016 protests without bail. They urged Telangana to mirror Karnataka’s legislative model. During the memorial events, Rohith’s mother, Radhika Vemula, along with Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani and various students paid tributes at the Rohith Stupa in Velivaada. The day ended with a “Mašál Juloos” (torch parade) where the students continued their demand for justice.
“Students voluntarily boycotted classes and gathered at ‘Velivaada’ (North Shopcom) on the university campus supporting the Justice for Rohith Vemula movement commemorating 10 years of Vemula’s institutional murder and ten years of denial of justice,” UoH Ambedkar Students’ Association Vice President (ASA) Dushy said.
‘Rohith Shahadath Din’ is a symbol of resistance, advocacy and remembrance. It brings together the voices of Dalit-Bahujan-Adivasi lives lost in educational spaces and the Dalit self-respect movement, ASA said.
It further states: “Ten years have passed and yet no responsibility has been taken by the University of Hyderabad, the Ministry of Education and the Indian state for Vemula’s death. We argue that until caste in educational institutions is destroyed, Vemula will live on as a symbol of resistance and the struggle he represents will continue to grow.”