10 years on, how Vemula’s death forced policy shifts

The death of Rohith Vemula – termed an institutional murder by his friends and family – uncorked a fount of anger among young people from marginalised castes

The house reveals itself in fragments. A charpoy stands pushed against the wall. The checked bed sheet draped over it has thinned with washing. Across the walls, damp has bloomed in pale greys and browns. The paint curls at the edges.

Rohith Vemula, a PHD student, died by suicide at the University of Hyderabad following months of caste discrimination. (Hindustan Times)

The wall opposite is punctured by a grid of square vents letting the light slip in through disciplined squares. Above, a large wooden board, framed in chipped blue paint, is mottled. But affixed on it is a portrait, carefully