Dalit scholar's suicide: Telangana Congress presents Rs 5 lakh compensation to Rohith Vemula's mother

Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday presented Rs. 5 lakh cheque to Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula's mother at the University of Hyderabad.

"We express solidarity to the students of HCU. The Vice Chancellor must be sacked and the responsible person must be arrested," Reddy said.

The family members of Rohith Vemula had earlier refused to accept ex-gratia amount and demanded arrest of those responsible for his suicide.

"We don't need money, I refuse to take money, if you want you take that money and tell me the truth. We strongly demand that anybody who is involved in his death must be arrested or suspended," said Raju, Rohith's Brother.

The Hyderabad Central University (HCU) had earlier announced an ex-gratia of Rs. eight lakh to the family of Rohith Vemula.

Protests escalated at the University with students demanding justice for Rohith and suspension of HRD Minister Smriti Irani, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the Vice Chancellor P. Appa Rao.

Rohith and four others were suspended in December, and a month later Vemula hanged himself to death on the university campus.