Rohith Vemula's Family Says 'PM Silent On Those Responsible For His Death'

Mumbai: The mother and brother of Rohith Vemula, the Dalit scholar who killed himself at a Hyderabad University in January this year, became Buddhists today at a ceremony in Mumbai.

"If my brother were alive he would have been proud. From today, my mother and I will start a life that Rohith always dreamt of. From today, my mother and I will be truly free, free from shame" said Rohith's younger brother Raja Vemula, once again attacking central ministers like Smriti Irani over his brother's suicide.  

He also said, "Why doesn't PM Modi make one statement on people responsible for his death? He sheds tears for my brother but said nothing on Appa Rao," referring to the vice-chancellor of the university where Rohith Vemula hanged himself.

To embrace Buddhism, Rohith's mother Radhika and brother chose the birth anniversary of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar, who too had converted to Buddhism inspiring a movement. It was a rejection, they said, of a caste system that allows the persecution of Dalits.   

Rohith Vemula had said in a suicide note that he did not blame anyone for his decision to kill himself. But a month before that, he had sent a despairing letter to Vice Chancellor Appa Rao about caste discrimination and said Dalit students should be given "a rope to hang themselves".

In Hyderabad, Rohith's family has joined students on protests that have continued since the 27-year-old hanged himself in his hostel room. They have been demanding the dismissal of Mr Rao and action against Union Minister Bandarau Dattatreya and Union Education Minister Smriti Irani, who they accuse of hounding Mr Vemula and his friends based on a complaint filed by student leaders affiliated to the BJP who study at the same university.

The BJP-led central government has denied that Mr Vemula and others were persecuted as a result.