A Decade of Resistance: Remembering Rohith Vemula

On the 10th anniversary of Rohith Vemula's death, University of Hyderabad students boycotted classes and marched in his memory. The commemoration highlights ongoing demands for justice and accountability from the university and the state, centered around the fight against caste-based discrimination in educational institutions.

At the University of Hyderabad, students marked the 10th anniversary of research scholar Rohith Vemula's death with a class boycott and campus march on Saturday. Vemula's tragic suicide in 2016 had sparked nationwide protests, bringing attention to issues of caste discrimination in Indian educational institutions.

Vemula's mother, Radhika, and Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani were among those who attended and laid wreaths at the Rohith Stupa, located at the symbolic 'Velivaada' (North Shopcom) on campus. The Ambedkar Students Association (ASA) vice-president, Dushyant, highlighted the event as a remembrance of institutional injustice and the ongoing demand for change.

The ASA declared Rohith Shahadath Din as a rallying cry for the struggle against caste-based oppression, especially within education. Despite the passage of a decade, calls for accountability from the University of Hyderabad, the Ministry of Education, and the Indian state remain unfulfilled. Until caste structures are dismantled, Vemula's legacy endures as a symbol of resistance.

(With inputs from agencies.)