Hyderabad: Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao has served a legal notice to deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, demanding an unconditional apology for comments linking him to the 2016 death by suicide of University of Hyderabad scholar Rohith Vemula.
The notice warns that, should Bhatti Vikramarka fail to apologise within three days, he will face a Rs 25 crore defamation suit and potential criminal proceedings.
The row surfaced after Bhatti Vikramarka, during a July 12 press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi, criticised the BJP’s appointment of Ramchander Rao as Telangana state president.
The deputy chief minister alleged that Rao, then an MLC, was among those who exerted pressure on university authorities and police, leading to the expulsion of Rohith Vemula and, ultimately, his suicide.
He further accused the BJP of rewarding individuals tied to the case, referencing Rao’s new role and past appointments given to others named in the original investigation.
In response, Ramchander Rao’s lawyer issued the legal notice, describing Bhatti Vikramarka’s remarks as “illegal and unlawful acts of making false imputations” and noting that a 2024 SC/ST Special Court investigation report conclusively absolved Rao and others of any wrongdoing in the matter. The report found no evidence of abetment and declared the caste claim fraudulent.
Bhatti Vikramarka, for his part, has called for the reopening of the Rohith Vemula case despite the previous closure report that cleared all the accused.
He announced the Telangana government’s move to file a legal note in the High Court seeking a directive to investigate the case afresh and reiterated his commitment to enacting the “Rohith Vemula Act” to curb caste-based discrimination in educational institutions.
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