Radhika told to prove her caste

Guntur: The notice served by the district administration on Radhika, mother of Rohith Vemula, a scholar of University of Hyderabad (UOH) who committed suicide on the university campus in January last year, seeking to prove her family’s caste status triggered a fresh controversy.

In case of her failure to prove the caste status, caste certificates given to her children by the Revenue Department stand cancelled, the notice said.

Collector Kantilal Dande, in the notice, put the onus of proving the caste credentials on the victim’s mother, raising the hackles of Dalit outfits.

A Joint Action Committee (JAC) was constituted with the involvement of different Dalit organisations with a preparedness to expose the alleged hidden agenda of the government to save Union Minister for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya and UOH Vice-Chancellor Podile Appa Rao, figuring as accused in the Rohith’s suicide.

According to information, the JAC is getting ready for a legal battle, challenging the notice issued by the Guntur district administration.

Rohith’s mother has been claiming that she belonged to the SCs while her husband deposed before an inquiry conducted by the official machinery and stated that Rohith as his son belonged to the Vaddera community falling under the Backward Classes.

The caste legacy was transferred from father as per the rules, said the official sources.

The conflicting claims on the caste status of the victim forced the district administration to shift the burden of proving the caste status to Radhika, official sources told The Hans India.

It may be recalled that the revenue authorities in Guntur city granted caste certificates with SC status twice to Rohith, once at the time of his school final examinations and the other when he was seeking admission for Masters programme in UOH basing on his claims.

Radhika claims that she was born in a family belonging to the Mala community and adopted by a Vaddera woman and hence she is entitled to SC status.

Former Minister Dokka Manikya Varaprasad questioned the rationale in raking up the controversy surrounding the caste of Rohith’s family when he is no more.

“Even if Rohith obtained SC status fraudulently as per the claims of the government, he is not alive to enjoy the benefits under the SC quota. It is nothing but subjecting Rohith’s family to harassment and mental agony,” Varaprasad observed.

Victim’s brother Raja Chaitanya contended that Rohith obtained a seat in the university under the merit quota, making the caste status redundant.

It was a clear case of the BJP government attempting to shield its Union Minister by using the official machinery as a tool, he alleged. Radhika said she was staying in an SC colony in Guntur after she was deserted by her husband.

Vemula Radhika’s advocate U D Jai Bhima Rao said, “After studying the case, I will file a petition in the court against the show cause notice issued by the District Collector and re-inquiry ordered on Rohith’s caste.”