New Delhi, 17 Jan

On the 10th death anniversary of Dalit student Rohith Vemula on Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the Rohit Vemula Act is not just a slogan but a necessity.

The Congress governments in Karnataka and Telangana are in the process of implementing the law, he added.

The proposed Karnataka Rohit Vemula (Prevention of Exclusion or Injustice) (Right to Education and Dignity) Bill, 2025, focuses on addressing what it calls the “caste realities” in higher education institutions (HEIs) and is intended to end discrimination on the basis of caste. However, despite being introduced last June, the Act hasn’t seen significant progress yet.

Gandhi said the reality for Dalit youngsters has not changed on campuses and stressed the need for an anti-discrimination law.

Vemula, a 26-year-old Dalit student of the University of Hyderabad, committed suicide on 17 January 2016, due to alleged harassment. His death triggered a nationwide agitation against casteism in institutions of higher learning.

On X, Gandhi wrote, “Rohith’s question still resonates in our hearts: Does everyone in this country have an equal right to dream? Rohith wanted to study, he wanted to write. He wanted to understand science, society and humanity to make this country a better place. But this system could not tolerate a Dalit’s progress.”

“Caste discrimination in educational institutions must become a crime. The silencing of any student on the basis of caste must end,” he said.

“Implement the Rohit Vemula Act now. We need an anti-discrimination law now,” he stressed. — PTI