PM Modi breaks silence on Rohith Vemula's suicide; expresses grief

Says 'a mother has lost her son. I feel the pain' at Lucknow function

Finally breaking his silence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today voiced his grief over the suicide of a Rohith Vemula, a Dalit scholar in Hyderabad University, even as some students raised slogans during his speech.

"...When there is news that a youth of my country, Rohith, was compelled to commit suicide, what his family must have gone through. Mother India has lost a son. There will be reasons, there will be politics (surrounding it) but the fact remains that a mother has lost her son. I feel the pain very well," a visibly emotional Modi said.

He was speaking as the Chief Guest at the convocation ceremony of the B R Ambedkar University here, which was marred by protest by two students, who were evicted by police as they shouted slogans like "Modi murdabad" and "Modi go back, Modi go back".

The suicide by Rohith Vemula, a dalit scholar of the Hyderabad Central University, has kicked up a major row with Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya coming under intense attack from political rivals, who have blamed them for the incident and demanded their removal.

Two students, who were donning blue stoll, meant for Masters degree scholars, were detained after they shouted slogans as the Prime Minister took to the podium.

University Proctor Kamal Jaiswal said, "we were taken aback. We had taken all precautions. Action will be taken as per rules."

However, Modi did not go into the politics behind Rohith's suicide.