I was born in a Dalit family, claims Rohith's mother

HYDERABAD, Jan 23: Amid a row over which caste research scholar Rohith Vemula belonged to, his mother Radhika on Saturday claimed she belongs to the Scheduled Caste but was adopted by a family from Vaddera, a backward class community.

As questions are being raised as to whether Rohith, the research scholar of Hyderabad Central University who committed suicide on January 17, was a Dalit, his mother Vemula Radhika made a clarification.

She told reporters that she was born in a Mala (Scheduled Caste) family but her parents left her with a Vaddera family, where she grew up.

Radhika said that in 1985, she married a man from the Vaddera community and had three children with him. The couple separated due to some persol problems and she kept all three children with her.

Radhika said she followed all traditions and customs of Mala as she origilly belonged to the Scheduled Caste family.

“Why has the country not asked the caste of Nirbhaya and why is this question being asked only in case of Rohith?” she asked, referring to the gang rape victim in Delhi.

She made the clarification following a statement by Rohith’s paterl grandmother that they were from the Vaddera community. As per official records, he belonged to the Scheduled Caste. A case under the SC/ST Atrocities Act was booked against central minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and two leaders of the ABVP. (IANS)

Top Headlines

No stories found.
Sentinel Assam
www.sentinelassam.com