New Delhi : The family of Rohith Vemula, the Hyderabad University PhD scholar who committed suicide, on Friday said that they would ‘expose the lies’ propagated by Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani in the Parliament to divert the entire issue which has started troubling the ruling BJP at the Centre.
Accusing Irani of lying and attempting to divert attention from the entire issue, Rohith’s mother Radhika Vemula said that her son did not receive the stipend for seven months.
“Letters that were forwarded from the HRD Ministry indicated that students were branded as ‘anti-national’ and extremists. I demand an explanation as to how my son became ‘anti-national’ and ‘extremist’,” she told a press conference here.
Rohith’s friend Prashant quoting the HRD Minister’s earlier statement said this is a complete lie that has malicious intent to divert the entire issue which has started troubling the BJP.
“She said that on the day when Rohith died, no police and doctors were allowed inside to revive him,” he said.
Prashant also wondered as to why no action has been initiated against the HRD Minister, who is repeatedly giving false statements, yet.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India has lost her son. I want to ask him if India has lost her son, why the same son was branded as ‘anti-national’?” he asked.
Countering the statement wherein Irani said that no doctor came to revive Rohith and his dead body was used as a political tool, he said that it was discovered by the university officials at 7 p.m. that Rohith was dead.
“This was confirmed by the doctor (CMO) who came out in open yesterday. She stated that Rohith was dead by that time itself,” he said.
He also said that Irani was spreading fake news that the committee, which expelled the three students, including Rohith, had an SC/ST representative.
“She stated that the committee, which suspended us and expelled us from hostels, from entry into common places and from entering into administrative building had an SC/ST representative. This was not true because the decision was taken in executive council which does not have any single SC/ST representative. This was fake news that was spread by her. He said that the committee consisted of 11 members out of which none was SC/ST. It is an absolute lie that has been spread by Smriti Irani in the Parliament,” he said.
Rohith’s friend also countered the HRD Minister’s statement in which she said that the expelled students had committed violence inside the campus.
“The second lie which she stated was that we had committed violence inside the university campus. However, the Police Commissioner had clearly stated that there was no violence. She is just trying to mislead the nation,” he said.
He also said that Irani and Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot, who were saying that Rohith was not a ‘Dalit’, were referring to the reports of the Assistant Commissioner of Police, who is not even a competent authority to investigate caste of a person.
“On the caste status of Rohith Vemula, she and Thawar Chand Gehlot were referring to reports submitted by the ACP. He is not a competent authority to investigate caste of a person,” he said.
“The mother of Rohith Vemula, who belongs to Scheduled Caste, grandmother of Rohith who adopted his mother, is also a Scheduled Caste. They both have deposed before the magistrate. Union Ministers Thawar Chand Gehlot and Smriti Irani, both are claiming that Rohith Vemula is not a Dalit. Let inquiry process come out. There is already a caste certificate which states that Rohith belonged to Scheduled Caste,” he added.
Rohith, who committed suicide last month, was among the five research scholars suspended by the Hyderabad University in August last year over an alleged assault case.
The matter took a political turn with allegations that the extreme step taken by Rohith was a result of discrimination against Dalit students at the behest of Union Minister of State for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya, following his letter to the Union HRD Minister, seeking action against their ‘anti-national acts’. (ANI)