Soon, bill to protect Dalit, ST students: T’gana DyCM

THe Telangana authorities testament before long innovate a “Rohith Vemula move” to prevent discrimination against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in educational institutions across the state, deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka announced on Saturday.Vikramarka made this announcement after a meeting with the members of the Justice for Rohith Vemula Campaign Committee from Karnataka at Praja Bhavan on Saturday. The committee submitted a draft of the Rohith Vemula Act, 2025 envisaged by the Karnataka government.Vemula, a 26-year-old Dalit student of the University of Hyderabad, died by suicide on January 17, 2016, alleging caste discrimination by the university authorities, who suspended his PhD degree and cancelled his stipend following an alleged dispute with ABVP members.Speaking to the campaign committee members, Vikramarka said the state government would work towards bringing in Rohith Vemula Act, after discussions with chief minister A Revanth Reddy. “We shall enact legislation at the earliest,” he said.He recalled that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had also written a letter to the chief minister, urging the introduction of the Rohith Vemula Act in the state. “We shall study the draft bill prepared by the Karnataka government and enact a similar legislation,” the deputy chief minister said.On this occasion, the committee members made several representations. They demanded a transparent inquiry into the suicide case and justice for Vemula.“They also requested that relief be granted to 50 students and two teachers against whom non-bailable cases were registered in the university following Vemula’s death,” a statement from the deputy chief minister’s office said.The draft bill expands the scope of safeguards available to SC and ST students by explicitly describing discrimination as “any intentional or unintentional action or omission that has an adverse effect on an SC/ST individual or a group”, and focuses on everyday acts of discrimination.“This is a civil legislation that provides an avenue to settle conflicts in a non-criminalising manner. It accounts for evolving forms of discrimination such as indirect discrimination, institutional discrimination, and microaggressions,” the members explained to Vikramarka.The Karnataka delegation comprised senior Ambedkarite and lecturer Hulikunte Murthy; assistant professor of National Law University, Bengaluru Dr Ashna Singh; advocate V Mrudula and Ambedkar Students’ Association member Rahul. Besides, Vemula’s mother Radhika Vemula and brother Raja Vemula, senior faculty members from University of Hyderabad and friends of Vemula were also present during the discussions.Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the reality for youngsters from the community has not changed on campuses and stressed the need for an anti-discrimination law.In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, “Today marks 10 years since Rohith Vemula’s passing. But Rohith’s question still resonates in our hearts: Does everyone in this country have an equal right to dream?”That is why the Rohith Vemula Act is not just a slogan but a necessity, the Congress leader asserted. “So that caste-based discrimination in educational institutions becomes a crime, strict action is taken against the perpetrators and the freedom to break, silence and exclude any student on the basis of their caste is ended,” he said.Stating that the Congress governments in Karnataka and Telangana are in the process of implementing the law as soon as possible, he said: “We want an India that is just, humane and equal -- where no Dalit student has to pay for their dreams with their life. Rohith, your fight is our responsibility.”Scores of students belonging to ASA and other like-minded student groups held a commemorative meeting on the University of Hyderabad campus on Saturday. Several speakers including Vemula’s mother Radhika, members of the Rohith Vemula campaign committee from Karnataka and others spoke.Earlier, the students took out “Mashaal Juloos” (procession holding torches) from their hostel to the South Shopping complex, to demand justice for Vemula.