Rohith Vemula Death: Telangana Police To Reopen Case After Family Casts Doubt Over Closure Report

NEW DELHI: Telangana Police has said that it will re-investigate the Rohith Vemula death case after his family members raised doubts over the closure report filed in the case which contended that he was not a Dalit and the fear of his “real caste” identity being exposed forced him to commit suicide.  The closure report filed by the Telangana Police a month ago gave a clean chit to all the accused in the case.

"As some doubts have been expressed by the mother and others of the deceased Rohith Vemula on the investigation conducted, it has been decided to conduct further investigation into the case. A petition will be filed in the Court concerned requesting the Hon’ble Magistrate to permit further investigation into the case. The Investigation Officer in the case was Asst. Commissioner of Police, Madhapur and the final closure report in the case was prepared last year i.e. before November 2023 itself based on the investigation conducted. The final closure report was officially filed in the jurisdictional court on 21.03.2024 by the Investigation Officer," the Telangana Director General of Police was quoted as saying by ANI.

Rohith Vemula death case | "As some doubts have been expressed by the mother and others of the deceased Rohith Vemula on the investigation conducted, it has been decided to conduct further investigation into the case. A petition will be filed in the Court concerned requesting the… — ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2024

Vemula, a PhD scholar at the Hyderabad Central University, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a hostel room on January 17, 2016. He was allegedly upset over disciplinary actions taken against him by the university.

BJP Demands Apology From Rahul Gandhi

Invoking the closure report filed by the Telangana Police in the Rohith Vemula death case, absolving Union Minister Smriti Irani and three others, senior BJP leader Amit Malviya has accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of politicising the incident for political gains. Malviya questioned if the Wayanad MP would apologise to Dalits after the closure report in the death of the research scholar at the University of Hyderabad. Taking to his official X handle, the BJP's IT Cell head shared a clip of Rahul purportedly speaking on the Rohit Vemula death case in the Lok Sabha. In the clip, Rahul is heard questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'silence' on the matter.

"Rahul Gandhi used the floor of the House to politicise Rohith Vemula's death for his ugly politics. Now that Telangana Police, under a Congress government, has filed a closure report, stating that Vemula did not belong to the SC community and died by suicide, will Rahul Gandhi apologise to the Dalits? The Congress and so-called 'secular' parties have often used Dalits for their politics but have always failed to provide them justice. This is yet another instance," Malviya posted on X.

Rahul Gandhi used floor of the House to politicise Rohit Vemula’s death for his ugly politics. Now that Telangana Police, under a Congress Govt, has filed a closure report, stating that Vemula did not belong to the SC community and died by suicide, will Rahul Gandhi apologise to… pic.twitter.com/xkdEx7zgiq — Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) May 4, 2024

Weighing in on the closure report, BJP spokesperson Ajay Alok alleged that Congress created a false narrative around the death of Vemula. Speaking to ANI on Saturday, the BJP leader said, "The issue is not whether he (Rohith Vemula) was Dalit or not. Questions should be raised of those who did not allow Parliament to function, claiming that the BJP government is anti-Dalit. They politicised the issue and built a false narrative around it."