Rejecting the claims of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, SC/ST commission chairman PL Punia on Sunday cleared that Hyderabad scholar Rohith Vemula was a Dalit.
It is to be noted that external affairs minister in Maharashtra said on Saturdy that, “As per my information the student (Rohith) was not Dalit. He was projected as a Dalit by some people to defame the Modi govt.
“He was a Scheduled Caste. Some people are only trying to scale down the issue.
Punia claimed that Rohith’s mother was a Dalit and they have certificates to prove their claims. “How can he belong to a different caste then,” said Punia.
Punia who is also a Rajya Sabha MP supported Rahul Gandhi for joining the hunger strike led by the students. “I am thankful to Rahulji for standing up so strongly for the cause of Dalits,” said Punia.
The 26-year-old scholar committed suicide earlier last week, a fortnight after he and four other researchers were expelled from the university hostel in connection with an alleged case of assault.