Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday broke his silence on the suicide of Hyderabad University Dalit scholar, Rohith Vemula, saying he was deeply saddened by the tragedy.
In his speech at the 6th convocation of the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow, he choked and paused while referring to the scholar’s death last Sunday, triggering protests across the country.
“I am not going into the reasons, politics of the issue, but I empathise with the family who has lost so much,” he said as tears welled up in his eyes.
The prime minister said that at a time when the entire nation looks up to the youth for inspiration and strength, a news like this brings sadness.
He told youngsters not to take such drastic steps.
Vemula had hanged himself to death on the campus on Sunday. He and five other Dalit students were suspended by the university on charges of assaulting an ABVP leader.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is the student wing of the RSS and is allied to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Earlier at the event, two students raised slogans against the prime minister as Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh concluded his speech and Modi rose to address the gathering.
As they shouted that the killers of Vemula were still alive and raised slogans like “go back Modi”, police officials whisked them away and the prime minister began his speech.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier yesterday demanded Modi speak on the suicide before paying homage to Babasaheb Ambedkar in Lucknow.
Kejriwal also exhorted the prime minister to meet the protesting students of the university.
Kejriwal on Thursday sought the dismissal of central ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya as well as the vice chancellor of Hyderabad University over the incident.
Meanwhile, the union human resource development ministry yesterday decided to set up a judicial commission to probe the circumstances which led to Vemula’s suicide.
The commission will submit its report in three months. The ministry took the decision based on the findings and observations of a fact-finding committee constituted to conduct an inquiry. The two panels submitted their reports to the ministry.
“Based on its observations and findings, the ministry decided to constitute a judicial commission to review the entire sequence of events and the circumstances; and to establish the facts and correctives in the context of the university,” an official statement said.
“The commission will submit its report within three months,” it added. Union Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani yesterday also spoke to Vemula’s mother over phone and extended her condolences.
The ministry, according to the statement, also took a few other decisions to address the issues faced by the students from disadvantaged social, economic and educational backgrounds in higher educational institutions and to prevent such incidents in future.
The Hyderabad University yesterday announced an Rs800,000 ex gratia assistance for Vemula’s family.
A demand draft for the amount will be handed over to Rohith’s mother Radhika, a university statement said here.