Rohith Vemula suicide: 7 students of Hyderabad University begin indefinite hunger strike

NSUI president Roji John (left) with Rohit Vemula's mother at Hyderabad University campus.

Hyderabad: Demanding justice for Rohith Vemula , seven students of the Hyderabad University went on an indefinite hunger strike on Sunday. With the demand of an impartial probe into the case growing louder, the Students’ Joint Action Committee (SJAC) has also planned a 'Chalo HCU' march on Monday. 

Earlier on Saturday, another group of seven students, which was on a hunger strike for the last four days, was forcibly evicted and shifted to hospital.

Meawhile, NSUI president Roji John met Rohit Vemula's mother at Hyderabad University campus on Sunday. 

I belong to Dalit community, Rohith's mother 

Amid a row over which caste research scholar Rohith Vemula belonged to, his mother Radhika on Saturday claimed she belongs to the Scheduled Caste but was adopted by a family from Vaddera, a backward class community.

As questions are being raised as to whether Rohith, the research scholar of Hyderabad Central University who committed suicide on January 17, was a Dalit, his mother Vemula Radhika made a clarification.

She told reporters that she was born in a Mala (Scheduled Caste) family but her parents left her with a Vaddera family, where she grew up.

Radhika said that in 1985, she married a man from the Vaddera community and had three children with him. The couple separated due to some personal problems and she kept all three children with her.

Radhika said she followed all traditions and customs of Mala as she originally belonged to the Scheduled Caste family.