The enquiry report that probed the reasons for the suicide concluded that Rohith Vemula killed himself due to personal reasons.New Delhi: Hyderabad University dalit scholar Rohith Vemula did not commit suicide because of pressure from union ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya or the university's vice chancellor Appa Rao Podile, an enquiry report has said. The report further adds that it was 'his own' decision .
"His suicide note is on the record, which shows that Rohith Vemula had his own problems and was not happy with the worldly affairs," said the report of the commission set up by the Union Human Resource Development Ministry.
The one-man commission, headed by Allahabad High Court judge (retd.) A.K. Roopanwal, was constituted in 2016 following Vemula's suicide that triggered protests by students in Hyderabad and elsewhere.The commission had submitted its findings to the HRD Ministry in December 2016, and was made public Tuesday.
"He (Vemula) did not blame anybody for his suicide. If he would have been angry with the decision of the university, certainly either he would have written in specific words or would have indicated in this regard,” the report said, adding that "this shows that the circumstances prevailing in the university at that time were not the reason for committing suicide”.
The report also sought to clarify that Vemula did not belong to the Scheduled Castes category. He came from "Vaddera" community, and thus belonged to the OBC category, it said.
"The evidence on record shows that she (Vemula's mother) belongs to Vaddera community and, therefore, the Scheduled Castes certificate issued to Rohith Vemula cannot be said to be a genuine one and he was not a Scheduled Caste person," it said.
Vemula's mother V. Radhika claimed to hail from "Mala" community, which is considered a Scheduled Caste. After getting divorced from her husband V. Manikumar -- who belonged to Vaddera community -- in 1990, she singlehandedly raised Vemula.
Moreover, the commission did not find any proof of discrimination against Vemula on account of his caste, which could have eventually led to his suicide.
Vemula was among the four students, who had been barred from accessing the hostel premises and other public spaces within the university as a proctorial inquiry punishment in August 2015, for abusing and beating up ABVP activist N. Susheel Kumar over a Facebook post.
Vemula committed suicide on January 17, 2016, hanging in his hostel room.
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