All participants in this National Seminar express their deep shock over the tragic end of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit Research Scholar of University of Hyderabad, whose death calls for the attention of democratic forces to the deep-rooted prejudices and multiple forms of discrimination combined with the callousness of the system. The right-wing student organisations emboldened with BJP in power assumed the role of moral policing to silence dissent; they decide what to speak, what to eat, who are nationalists and who are anti-national, what to do and what not to do, making the campus climate suffocative — ignoring that university campuses are the places where there has to be a stimulating climate for blossoming of ideas and preserving even unpopular thoughts for future generations.
This is how human knowledge in all branches has made strides. These forces prefer to forget that great scientists suffered at the hands of obscurantist forces with great courage of conviction to leave illuminating ideas for posterity. The ideas Rohith left behind were so powerful that they stirred the minds and hearts of the people and pricked the very conscience of the nation. The seminar places it on record that the deep urge of Rohith for democratic values, love of nature and human beings is invaluable for rejuvenating the campuses. Higher education in India got trapped in a neo-liberal model which has no respect for any higher values, its primary interest being profit-making and reducing a human being into a mere consumer. It is this culture that Rohith felt repulsive. He added it had become difficult to love people without being hurt. This alienation and vulgarisation of social relations on the campuses is a direct fall out of the current model of development.
That Rohith was not paid his fellowship for seven months is a direct outcome of the policies of UGC and MHRD which are moving in the direction of scrapping the scholarships. That education should be accessible to all those who wish to pursue has been one of the causes that we have been advocating and fighting.
We strongly believe that in the long run the system of education can be democratised through the introduction of Common School system through Neighbourhood School where all the children of India will have equitable access to quality education. This alone will break the stranglehold of upper class dominance in university system. Although the interference of ruling parties in the working of universities has been increasing, the present political dispensation in Delhi has shown no respect for autonomy of universities. Several universities are falling prey to this trend which is a complete negation of the very spirit of academic autonomy. It has been the experience of democratic struggles in the past that they instead of leaving richer traditions and practices, what happens is exactly the opposite. All the democratic values get stifled in the name of discipline, order and academic excellence.
This seminar demands the policy-makers, university academics and administrators to ensure that the democratic space in the campuses is further enlarged so that no brilliant student like Rohith in future feel alienated. The seminar takes serious objection to the interpretation that child inherits the caste of father denying the claims of Ms Radhika, mother of Rohith that his father had no role in bringing him up. This is an ugly patriarchical attitude. It is also disturbing that Mr Bandaru Dattatreya used epithets like extremists, casteists and anti-nationals referring to the activities of Ambedkar Students Association. It is all the more shocking that MHRD used these expressions as the subject line in their letters to the university. The university community should have protested and demanded the ministry to apologise. It is now for the university to tender a public apology to the nation.