On Rohith Vemula's death anniversary, his mother vows to fight communal forces

The mother of Rohith Vemula, the research scholar of University of Hyderabad (UoH) who committed suicide in 2016, on Thursday vowed to fight the communal forces, which she alleged were responsible for her son's death.

She took the pledge for justice at a march, 'Rohith Shahadath Din 2019' organised by University of Hyderabad (UoH) here inside the varsity campus on the third death anniversary of Rohith Vemula.

Vemula, a Ph.D. scholar at the varsity, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a hostel room on January 17, 2016. He was reportedly upset over the disciplinary action that was taken against him by the university authorities.

In a press release issued by the JAC students, Radhika Vemula said, "I have decided to fight with a conscious determination against the Hindu communal and anti-constitutional forces responsible for the death of Rohith."

"Though there were national wide movements, yet these communal forces didn't change. Instead, the same forces are responsible for the disappearance of Najeeb and nobody knows whether he is alive or dead. After this brutal act I feel like taking forward a serious fight without any fear," she added.

For the first time in three years since his demise, the police allowed Radhika Vemula and Raja Vemula, Rohith's mother and brother, into the campus.

Laxmaiah (State President, KNPS), J B Raju, Transgender activist Meera Sanghamitra, and representatives from various student organisations addressed the gathering.