Hyderabad, Jan 24: In a rebuff to the Hyderabad Central University, the family members of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, who allegedly committed suicide in a hostel room, on Saturday rejected the ex-gratia offered to them, and criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union human resource development minister Smriti Irani for taking five days to respond.
Vemula’s mother Radhika, sister Neelima and brother Raju, who visited the campus, demanded that “those responsible for his death” be brought to book. “Not Rs 8 lakh, we don’t want even if you give Rs 8 crore…from HCU where he died,” Neelima said.
The HCU had on Friday announced an ex-gratia of `8 lakh to the family. “Smriti Irani…she called up after five days. Why it took five days? You are also a woman…you are also a mother…it took five days (to call up the family and condole the death).
“I want to know why he died. You killed or he died? Why was he suspended? Those responsible should be arrested and punished. That’s the only thing I want,” she said. Raju said, “The Prime Minister says he (Rohith) was a son of Mother India. I am not big enough to talk about him (PM) …Why he did not speak for five days?”
