Indian Express: New Delhi: Monday,
October 10, 2016.
The Centre
has declined to make public a panel’s report on the death of research scholar
Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad University. Replying to an RTI query, it said that
the file concerned is “under submission” and copy of the report cannot be
provided. “The file concerned is under submission. Therefore, copy of report cannot
be provided at this point of time,” Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry
said in reply to the RTI query filed by PTI. It did not cite any provision of
the Right to Information (RTI) Act in declining the information. A government
department is expected to mention relevant provision of the RTI Act under which
information is being withheld.
The HRD
Ministry had in February appointed a Commission of Inquiry under Justice
(retired) Ashok Kumar Roopanwal to look into the events at the University of
Hyderabad, culminating in the death of Vemula. It was also tasked with
reviewing the existing grievance redressal mechanism for students at the
university and to suggest improvements. The Commission was asked to submit its
report within three-month time.
The panel has
submitted its report to the HRD Ministry. Recent media reports have claimed
that the Commission has raised questions on Vemula’s Dalit status and
attributed his suicide to personal reasons. University authorities too have
been absolved of any blame for Vemula’s death as the Commission has held that
they were not working under political pressure, the reports said.
Vemula’s
suicide had triggered a huge political furore with the then HRD Minister Smriti
Irani coming under attack along with Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya for
having written a letter related to the matter. The Commission in its report is
understood to have emphasised upon proper grievance redressal mechanisms and equal
opportunity cells so that unfortunate incidents like Vemula’s suicide can be
prevented.
.JPG)
.JPG)
