Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday he was saddened to hear that Dalit student Rohith Vemula was forced to commit suicide, referring to an issue that has snowballed into a political controversy with critics alleging the HRD ministry pushed for Vemula to be punished over an incident at the University of Hyderabad.
“It was saddening to see that a youth of my country, Rohith, was driven to commit suicide,” Modi said during his speech at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow. “Reason and politics aside, what must the mother of the student have gone through,” Modi said.
Vemula, a PhD student, committed suicide by hanging himself in his friend’s hostel room on January 17, triggering protests on the campus and also in other universities in different parts of the country to demand action against those involved in suspension of the students and subjecting them to social boycott.
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Disruption in PM Modi's event after a student chants slogan of 'Narendra Modi Murdabad'. Student escorted out.
Several students were earlier whisked away by security personnel after shouting “Narendra Modi murdabaad” before the PM’s speech.
Modi was attending a convocation ceremony at the university after distributing assistive devices to over 9,000 differently-abled persons and flagging off a new train in Varanasi.
The PM continued his speech after the brief disruption, saying: “Babasaheb Ambedkar did a lot for the nation and he was particular about education.”
“BR Ambedkar did not live for himself; he dedicated his life to the nation for the welfare of the marginalised communities,” Modi said. “He proved himself amidst criticism and insults. He didn’t let his commitment go down,” he added.
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