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Rohith Vemula Suicide: That Student Was Not Dalit, Says Sushma Swaraj

Rohith Vemula Was Not A Dalit, Says Sushma Swaraj
Activist of a Dalit organization participate in a candle light vigil holding photographs of Indian student Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Jan 20, 2016. The activists were protesting the death of Vemula who, along with four others, was barred from using some facilities at his university in the southern tech-hub of Hyderabad. The protesters accused Hyderabad University's vice chancellor and a federal minister of unfairly demanding punishment for the five lower-caste students after they clashed last year with a group of students supporting the governing Hindu nationalist party. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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Activist of a Dalit organization participate in a candle light vigil holding photographs of Indian student Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Jan 20, 2016. The activists were protesting the death of Vemula who, along with four others, was barred from using some facilities at his university in the southern tech-hub of Hyderabad. The protesters accused Hyderabad University's vice chancellor and a federal minister of unfairly demanding punishment for the five lower-caste students after they clashed last year with a group of students supporting the governing Hindu nationalist party. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

THANE, Maharashtra -- External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday said that Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide in the Hyderabad Central University, was not a Dalit.

"The facts have come out in the case and as per my complete knowledge, that student (Rohith) was not a Dalit. By calling him a Dalit student, this whole case has been raised as a communal incident by some people," Swaraj said.

Rohith, a PhD student at the university, committed suicide by hanging himself in his room.

He was among the six research scholars, suspended by the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year in connection with an alleged attack on an ABVP leader.

The HCU has already revoked suspension of the four students, following uproar over Vemula's suicide.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.