Rohith Vemula

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Rohith Chakravarthi Vemula (30 January 1989 – 17 January 2016) was an Indian PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad. His death by suicide on 17 January 2016 drew attention to the alleged systemic discrimination imposed by the caste social hierarchies and enforced by state institutions, sparking widespread protests on various university campuses in India. Vemula became involved in raising issues of caste injustice on campus under the banner of Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA), an Ambedkarite student organisation. In response, in July 2015 the university stopped paying his monthly stipend of ₹25,000 (equivalent to ₹41,000 or US$430 in 2026) (excluding HRA) with friends alleging that he was targeted for his involvement with the ASA. A university official denied the allegation, blaming the delay instead on paperwork. On 5 August, the university set up an inquiry against Vemula and four other ASA members, two days after an assault on ABVP leader N. Susheel Kumar. On 17 August, BJP MP...

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