A coalition of student groups, Dalit organizations and activists on Tuesday demanded that the government release a proposed law known as the Rohith Vemula Act for public consultation and present it in the next budget session.
The application was filed by the Rohith Vemula Law Campaign, a group that said it had spent two years preparing a “people’s draft” aimed at ensuring equal educational opportunities for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes students. The group said the draft had already been submitted to the state government but had not been published despite several rounds of consultations.
Speaking at a press conference, Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (Ambedkarvada) state convener Mavali Shankar said the government had committed to enacting the legislation but was yet to take the next steps. “The state government has already promised to implement the Rohith Act. It is unfortunate that the draft has not yet been published or put up for discussion in the Assembly,” he said. “This law is essential to ensure equal opportunities in higher education for Dalit and Adivasi students. We must ensure the implementation of the Rohith Act in Karnataka, a demand that emerged from the student movement against the ‘institutional killing’ of Rohith Vemula.” The activists said the Congress party had pledged to implement the law in its 2023 election manifesto, and pointed to statements by party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, supporting the proposal.
The campaign submitted the draft to state IT and Biotechnology Minister Priyank Kharge, and later held discussions with state Law Minister HK Patel and Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar, said Basavaraj Kothal, a senior Dalit activist. He said campaign members were told that the government had accepted the draft with minor changes. “Given this, why is the Congress government in Karnataka hesitant to implement the law?” he asked. he asked.
The proposed legislation is based on consultations with students, academics, lawyers and civil society organisations, according to its authors.
Karnataka has a history of legal measures aimed at addressing caste inequality, said Ashna Singh, an assistant professor at the National Law School in Bangalore who contributed research to the draft. “This land has a history of protecting the interests of Dalits, Adivasis and Bahujans through special laws like PTCL, KTPP, abolition of Devadasi system and anti-social boycott laws,” she said. “In this same spirit, implementation of Rohith’s Law is a necessity.”
Tamati Media’s Holikunti Murthy said the draft was made public on January 17 at the Central University of Hyderabad, marking the 10th death anniversary of Rohith Vemula, in the presence of his mother Radhika Vemula.
He added that the campaign members also met the Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana to get similar legislation there.
Student leaders said the draft reflects extensive consultation and aims to protect vulnerable students. “In his last letter, Rohith Vemula wrote about scientific thought. Caste discrimination and violence are anti-scientific,” said Rahul, convenor of GKVK Ambedkar Students Association.
