Overview
- Rahul Gandhi called for urgent implementation of a Rohith Vemula Act to criminalise caste discrimination in educational institutions.
- He said the conditions that led to Vemula’s death persist on campuses and urged youth to organise; no national law exists yet, though Congress-led Karnataka and Telangana say they are moving to implement such legislation.
- The Ambedkar Students Association reiterated that Vemula’s death was the result of institutional caste violence and led Shahadat Din commemorations.
- UoH students boycotted classes, marched on campus, garlanded the Rohith Stupa at Velivaada, and held a torch procession demanding justice.
- Ten years on, Vemula’s family and peers report lasting fallout, including Radhika Vemula’s recent stent procedure, Raja’s career shifts, and a friend turning to farming and pig rearing after failing to secure teaching posts.