Georgy Kuruvila Roy In an article written condemning the objective violence pertaining to the suicide of Rajani a Dalit engineering student in Kerala, Rekha Raj does not for one moment associate her suicide with victimization. For her, Rajani and students like her should be seen as those icons from the Dalit community who braved …
Who killed Rohith Vemula?
Sujatha Surepally 26 years old Rohith Vemula, who wanted to reach the stars, become a science writer like Carl Sagan, is no more today. Perhaps he wanted to reach the stars, because his life had been oppressed, abused and separated his mind from his body. He may not have thought that he would make …
Caste! You are the Monster!
Harish S. Wankhede “The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind.” ~ Rohith Vemula Rohith Vemula is murdered. The Hindu caste psyche naturalizes the degraded social inequalities with such insensitivity that even …
Condemning the shrinking democratic spaces in educational institutions
From the National Law School of India University, Bangalore We, the concerned students, researchers and teaching faculty, of the National Law School of India University, Bangalore express deep condolences on the sad demise of Mr. Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar in Science, Technology and Society Studies Programme at the University of Hyderabad (UoH). Rohith …
Death of Merit or Merit of Death
T. Sowjanya “I came here through reservations and I sustain myself through the political solidarity of my dalit community!” is my firm answer to questions such as “Are you a dalit?” “Do you belong to category?” “Do you have any reservation?” These are the questions any dalit invariably faces one time or the other at …
Rohith Vemula’s Institutional Homicide: Systemic Brahmanical Ramifications in Indian Academia
Arpana Ingle The adjectives seem to be ceaseless when it comes to describing Rohith Vemula, a young Ambedkarite, politically vibrant, intellectual, bright, brave, courageous, student leader, activist fighting against injustice. Ambedkar had strongly asserted that ‘the village is nothing but a sink of localism, a den of ignorance, narrow-mindedness and communalism.’ These words of Ambedkar …
Indefinite Hunger Strike: Press Release by Joint Action Committee for Social Justice (UOH) dated 21st Jan, 2016
Joint Action Committee for Social Justice (UOH) 1. At a time when the legitimacy of Prof. Appa Rao to continue as Vice-Chancellor is in question, without attending to the protesting students who are on INDEFINITE HUNGER STRIKE, the absconding Vice-Chancellor and the Executive Committee met today (outside the campus) and issued a circular. We …
Response to MHRD minister Ms. Smriti Irani’s statements dated 20.01.2016
Press release by Joint action committee for Social Justice, University of Hyderabad We strongly condemn the statements and misrepresentation of facts made by the union minister of HRD Ms. Smriti Irani. (Human Resource and Development Minister Smriti Irani addresses a press conference over the suicide of a 26-year-old researcher of University of Hyderabad. Photo: Special …
Dreams of a shining star
Rajeev R Singh ‘I always wanted to be a writer. A writer of science, like Carl Sagan. At last, this is the only letter I am getting to write.’ – from Rohith Chakravarthi Vemula’s ‘suicide note’, 17th January 2016. The death of this shining star of the University of Hyderabad has once again brought …