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Rohith Vemula’s mother, brother to embrace Buddhism today

When contacted, Rohith’s younger brother Raja Vemula said "it is true that we are going to embrace Buddhism. We are on the way to Mumbai."

Dalit Phd student Rohith Vemula’s mother Radhika, and brother Naga Chaitanya Vemula also known as Raja Vemula will embrace Buddhism at a function in Mumbai Thursday in the presence of Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar on his 125th birth anniversary.

However, Rohith’s elder sister who is married into a Vaddera family will not covert. Raja and Radhika Vemula, along with Rohith’s childhood friend Riyaz Shaikh and UoH student Charbad Raju, left Wednesday evening for Mumbai from Hyderabad

Talking to The Indian Express Rohith’s brother Raja Vemula said, “My brother Rohith was a Buddhist at heart although he did not convert. He took his own life because as he was discriminated because he was a Dalit. We performed his last rites according to Buddhist traditions, honoring his love for Buddhism. Rohith used to talk of Buddhism a lot. He had also written a letter to the VC about how Dalits are discriminated against in the campus. My mother feels that we should honor Rohith by embracing Buddhism. We are against the caste system in Hindusim and have, therefore, decided to embrace Buddhism which does not have such an oppressive system of castes. We will convert tomorrow at 12 pm at Chaitya Bhoomi near Dadar in the presence of Prakash Ambedkar.”

Prakash Ambedkar said that Buddhist monks will give `Deeksha’ to them at the function on the sidelines of a programme marking the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar. Rohith Vemula, 27, commited suicide on January 17 in a hostel room at the University of Hyderabad where he was a Phd scholar, after he and four of his colleagues were suspended from the hostel and restrictions were put on their movement by the university administration as part of disciplinary action for allegedly assaulting ABVP leader N Susheel Kumar.

Prakash Ambedkar, who tweeted about the function, said that the function to covert the duo to Buddhism is being organized after Radhika Vemula approached him and conveyed their wish to embrace Buddhism when he visited Hyderabad recently.

Before leaving for Mumbai, Wednesday afternoon, Raja and Radhika Vemula tried to meet some Dalit students at the University of Hyderabad. They were entry into the campus by security personnel on grounds of being ‘outsiders’.

They wanted to meet some students who were protesting against Vice-Chancellor P Appa Rao, and ask if they also wanted to go to Mumbai along with them.