Telangana Police filed a closure report in the Rohith Vemula death case, absolving several prominent figures including then Secunderabad MP Bandaru Dattatreya, Member of Legislative Council N Ramachander Rao, Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao, ABVP leaders, and Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani.
The report attributed Rohith’s suicide to multiple stressors, including academic underperformance due to his involvement in campus politics and concerns over a fake Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate arranged by his mother. According to the report, Rohith’s academic pursuits were hindered by his engagement in student political activities, leading to anxiety and academic setbacks.
Rohith was reportedly apprehensive about the repercussions of his mother arranging an SC certificate for him, fearing the loss of academic degrees and potential legal consequences if exposed. Despite efforts, the report found no evidence linking the accused to Rohith’s suicide.
However, his family members were shocked with the police report and said they will legally contest the police closure report. His brother Raja Vemula claimed the district collector has to decide on the family’s SC status, prompting the police to say that they will conduct a further investigation.
Raja Vemula also said that they plan to meet Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on the matter. Meanwhile, police chief Gupta said the investigation officer in the case was the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Madhapur, and that the final closure report was prepared before November, based on the investigation conducted. The final closure report was officially filed in the jurisdictional court on March 21 by the investigation officer, he said in the statement.
Rohith Vemula died by suicide at Hyderabad Central University in 2016. His death triggered widespread protests, drawing attention to issues of caste-based discrimination in academic spaces. The case has been contentious, with various interpretations and allegations surrounding the circumstances leading to Rohith’s tragic demise.
