Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday remembered Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula on the 10th anniversary of his death and renewed his demand for the immediate implementation of the Rohith Vemula Act to criminalise caste discrimination in educational institutions.
Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad, was found dead in his hostel room on January 17, 2016. His death had triggered nationwide protests, with allegations that he was pushed to suicide due to institutional caste discrimination and social exclusion on campus.
In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said the questions raised by Rohith’s death remain unanswered even today. “Today marks 10 years since Rohith Vemula left us. But Rohith’s question still beats in our chests today. In this country, does everyone have an equal right to dream?” he wrote.
Gandhi described Rohith as a bright and sensitive scholar who wanted to study, write, and understand science, society, and humanity. He said Rohith dreamed of making the nation better but was systematically pushed to the margins because of his caste. “This system could not tolerate a Dalit advancing forward,” Gandhi said.
He alleged that institutional casteism, social exclusion, daily humiliation, and inhuman treatment stripped Rohith of his dignity and left him completely isolated. “Language that keeps reminding you of your ‘place’ and constant humiliation became the poison that broke a promising young man,” he added.
The Congress leader said the conditions that led to Rohith’s death still exist in many educational institutions. He said Dalit students continue to face isolation in hostels, discrimination in classrooms, and a constant sense of inferiority. “Caste is still this country’s biggest admission form,” Gandhi wrote.
Calling for urgent legal action, Rahul Gandhi said the Rohith Vemula Act is not just a slogan but a necessity. “Caste discrimination in educational institutions must become a crime. Strict action should be taken against the guilty so that no student is silenced or pushed out because of their caste,” he said.
He also stated that Congress ruled states Karnataka and Telangana are in the process of implementing the law at the earliest. Gandhi said the fight against caste discrimination is not limited to Parliament and must be taken forward on campuses by young people across the country.
“We want an India that is just, humane, and equal, where no Dalit student has to pay for their dreams with their life,” he said. He urged Dalit youth to raise their voices, build organisations, and stand together to demand the immediate implementation of strong anti discrimination laws.
