Rohith Vemula died by suicide in 2016 due to caste-based hostilities at a university in Hyderabad, where he was enrolled in a PhD program. Eight years later, Telangana police claim that Rohith was not a Dalit and that it was probably the fear of his 'real caste' being exposed that led him to suicide. At the heart of this claim are some formalities of law and policy that need to change.
The status of Scheduled Castes (SC) is legally determined by descent. More specifically, men's bloodlines are the vehicles of caste. That is, formal legal proceedings require a father's SC certification to grant an SC certificate to a child. This patriarchal nature of law and policy has been challenged in courts. As a result of judicial intervention, a mother's SC certification may be admitted to certify a child's SC status. But this is an exception, not a rule.
A process of humiliation
SC certifications at the local government level have also changed over time. Furthermore, these certifications can sometimes be the result of discretionary positions of power. In the past, SC certifications could be granted based on supporting statements from government officials and ordinary neighbors. In cases where neither parent has a formal caste certificate, the ordeal is made worse as an individual – especially inter-state migrant workers – runs from pillar to post to get their caste identity certified. All such processes inadvertently lead to varying degrees of humiliation for those seeking to obtain SC certification.
Read | 'My name is Rohith Vemula. I am a Dalit,” he said in a video days before he died
This kind of humiliation plays out openly for everyone, as in the case of Rohith Vemula and his mother, Radhika Vemula. Born to SC Mala parents, Radhika was adopted by a Vaddera woman from the Other Backward Class (OBC) and later married a Vaddera man. Despite the two legalities – adoption and marriage – Radhika was able to maintain her SC status because of her SC Mala father's bloodline. Moreover, Radhika later returned to her SC community after leaving her OBC husband. Patriarchy is so deeply entrenched in law and policy that Rohith Vemula's caste is now determined by the caste of an absent OBC father, and not by his current SC mother. Ultimately, legality here seems to function as an informal tool to impose humiliation and further amplify harm at the mass level of Dalit consciousness.
a Sujata Story
Bimal Roy's famous movie Sujata (1959) is something along the lines of the current fanciful speculations about Rohith Vemula's caste identity. An 'untouchable' orphan girl is adopted into a household in Savarna. This girl's name is Sujata. She is routinely humiliated and abused and grows up as an exploited, unpaid housekeeper. The film ends on a Cinderella-like happy note, with Sujata's marriage to a Savarna man.
Now, hypothetically, a sequel Sujata might show her as a happy wife to this Savarna man and a mother to their children, but somehow she is still humiliated and abused and remains an exploited, unpaid servant in her marital home. This sequel would also end happily, but on a more realistic note: Sujata would leave her Savarna husband, take her children and return to her “untouchable” community.
Read | Rohith Vemula's mother asked to prove her belonging to Scheduled Caste
In Sujata 3the woman could raise these children as proud Dalits, but the patriarchal forces of the law would impose Savarna caste lineage on them, negating and destroying their matrilineal Dalit bloodline. The writing of Sujata 3 is what is currently being written, and the ending is unknown.
The 1959 Sujata and the hypothetical sequels outlined here are recognizable conjectures from the life of Radhika Vemula. These are not claims that define her reality. Similarly, Telangana Police should not be the ultimate arbiter to determine Rohith Vemula's 'real caste'.
The key point in both the reality and fiction surrounding Rohith Vemula's suicide is that the law and policy for SC certification must accept matrilineal bloodlines. This is not just a theoretical debate, but a constitutional caste issue – related to equality and non-discrimination on the grounds of gender – with real implications for individuals like Rohith Vemula.
(Prof. Dr. Sumit Baudh (she/he) teaches Caste Law and Representation, Intersectionality Applications and Analysis, and tweets at X @BaudhSumit)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author