'One Lie After Another': Arvind Kejriwal Attacks Smriti Irani on Student Suicide

"Smriti Irani ji spoke one lie after another and tried to create controversy over Rohith's caste", he said after interacting with student protesters at the university campus. He also met Rohith's parents.

Mr Kejriwal has described Rohith's death as the "murder of democracy" and his Aam Aadmi Party has demanded action against union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya, who they blame for the student's suicide.

Labour Minister Dattatreya had written to the education department demanding action against Rohith, 26, and four other Dalit research scholars over an alleged assault on an activist of the BJP's student wing ABVP.

Attacking Mr Dattatreya, Mr Kejriwal said today that it was "shameful" that a minister used words like "extremist, casteist and anti-national" in his letter "without inquiring into facts."

The chief minister has also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise to the nation over the Dalit student's suicide.

Rohith was among five Dalit research scholars who were suspended by the University over the alleged assault on an ABVP activist. They were barred from the hostel and cafeteria and allowed only for classes and in the library.

There have been massive student protests in Hyderabad and in other cities over his death. Student protesters and opposition parties allege that the five Dalit students were subjected to caste discrimination.

They also allege that Ms Irani's education ministry pushed for the students to be punished by sending five reminders to the university's Vice Chancellor after minister Dattatreya wrote to her department.

Ms Irani said at a press conference yesterday that Rohith Vemula's suicide is being misrepresented with "malicious intent" as "a Dalit vs non-Dalit confrontation."

She also denied that her ministry pushed for the students to be punished, describing the letters that her ministry sent to the university in quick succession as standard procedure for complaints filed by MPs.