-The Times of India
LUCKNOW: Refuting claims of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, SC/ST commission chairman PL Punia said here on Sunday that Hyderabad scholar Rohith Vemula who committed suicide early this month was a Dalit.
Talking to reporters here, Punia said: "He was a member of the Scheduled Caste. Some people are only trying to water down the issue. Rohith and his siblings were brought up by a single mother, so how can any law determine his caste by that of his father who had left the family years ago?" he asked. Punia, who visited Hyerabad Central University a day after Rohith committed suicide, said: "I met the university officials and his friends, including those who were suspended from the hostel, and I believe Rohith was a Dalit."
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