[Mumbai]Rohith Vemula’s Mother+ Brother As Already Declared,Converted To Buddhism
Mother + brother of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, today embraced Buddhism on the occasion of Dr B R Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary. Rohith committed suicide at Hyderabad Central University in January sparking strong protests across the country, CM Of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal Has already Promised Job For Brother Naga
Rohith’s mother Radhika and brother Naga Chaitanya Vemula, also known as Raja Vemula, were given ‘deeksha’ at a function in Dadar here in the presence of Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar.
Ambedkar, Dalit icon and architect of the Indian Constitution, converted to Buddhism at a grand ceremony in Nagpur in 1956 as he was strongly opposed to the caste system in Hindusim.
At the venue of the deeksha ceremony, the mother-son duo paid tributes to Dr Ambedkar and bowed before his portrait.
Raja Vemula said, “My brother Rohith was a Buddhist at heart although he did not convert. He took his own life as he was discriminated because he was a Dalit. We performed his last rites according to Buddhist traditions, honouring his love for Buddhism.”
Rohith’s elder sister, who is married, has not converted to Buddhism.
Rohith Vemula, 27, committed suicide on January 17 in a hostel room in Hyderabad Central University where he was a PhD scholar after he and four others were suspended from the hostel last year and restrictions were put on their movement by the university administration as part of disciplinary action for allegedly assaulting ABVP leader N Susheel Kumar