HYDERABAD: Radhika Vemula, who has been appealing for support seeking justice for her son Rohith Vemula which in turn has spiraled into a movement in the last one year, on Tuesday, said the University of Hyderabad authorities have 'imprisoned' the bust and stupa erected in memory of her son inside the campus by not letting anyone enter the campus on his first death anniversary.
Before heading to the university, and while speaking at another event in the city, she said: "When I go to the university, I want to see the statue of my son. Please come with me and support me in getting inside".
The university, she said, has imprisoned Rohith’s statue inside and is not allowing anyone inside. "I demand the withdrawal of the police force deployed at the varsity gate. If the police lathicharge students who are going to commemorate his martyrdom, we will sit on indefinite hunger strike," she stated.
Shesaiah, one of the research scholars who had faced disciplinary action along with Rohith said “Rohith used to talk about Dalits, atrocities against them and political philosophy to emancipate them. Till his last breath, he stood as a radical Ambekarite". Further, recalling his association with Rohith, he said: "He used to criticize the parliamentarians. He read Ambedkar, Marx, poets like Shiv Sagar."
According to him, the State was trying to curtail a mother’s freedom to cry by denying her entry into the university. "Modi said that Rohith is the son of Bharat Mata and he gave Millennium Plaque Honour
to Appa Rao. We should continue our struggle and war against Hindutva brigade and for annihilation of caste,” he added.
They were speaking at a national seminar held by the Kulanirmulana Porata Samithi (KNPS), Telangana at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram on Tuesday morning. It saw the participation of Rohith’s friends, family,
academicians and organisations fighting to resist Hindutva attacks on Dalits, Muslims, and minorities.
KNPS president Bandari Laxmaiah who presided the programme said, “Even a small initiative by the Dalits in declaring themselves as equal human beings is resulting in violence. Caste is always treated as
something which is exhibited in villages but the cases of HCU such as that of Madari Venkatesh reveal that caste exists in the modern institutions as well.”
Professor K Laxmi Narayana from UoH, Profesor Surepalli Sujatha from Satvahana University and Professor Biju Mathew were also present at the programme.