27, Feb 2016

Radhika Vemula, flanked by her other son Raja, said BJP will be decimated to the ground if PM does not take any action against Irani .
Written by Kedar Nagarajan
New Delhi Updated: Feb 27, 2016, 8:30
Mother of Rohith Vemula, the Dalit student who committed suicide at Hyderabad University last month, has accused Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani of spreading “blatant lies” in Parliament about the events surrounding her son’s death.
Addressing a press conference along with Rohith’s brother Raja and friend Dontha Prashant, Radhika responded to several observations that Irani had made and urged her to “end her spree of misrepresenting facts”.
Vemula committed suicide after he was suspended by the university, along with five other Dalit students including Prashant, for allegedly assaulting an ABVP leader.
On Friday, Radhika said the BJP would be “decimated to the ground” if Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not intervene and take action against Irani and her Cabinet colleague Bandaru Dattatreya, who had written multiple letters to her seeking action against Rohith, alleging anti-national activities.
Radhika said, “There is no bigger insult to a mother than her son being called anti-national. At Ambedkar University, Narendra Modi referring to Rohith said, that India has lost a son. This is the same son that his Cabinet Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has called anti-national. If he believes this, why has he not taken action against Bandaru Dattatreya and Smriti Irani.”
Prashanth, a student of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), elaborated on points that he said Irani ‘falsified’. Referring to her comment that no police or medical personnel were allowed to examine Rohith’s body the day he was found dead, Prashanth said, “This is false and malicious on the part of the honourable HRD Minister. On the day that Rohith passed away, his body was discovered at 7pm and Dr Rajshree arrived at the spot at around 7:30. Second, the suggestion that no police were present is ludicrous. There is video evidence on Facebook of police being present on campus. Circle Inspector Gachibowli, Ramesh, had arrived on campus by around 7.30 pm.”