Hyderabad: The Director General of Police (DGP) in Telangana announced late on Friday that investigation into the death of Rohith Vemula will be continued.

In a press release, the DGP stated that due to “doubts expressed by the deceased Rohith Vemula's mother and others regarding the investigation, it has been decided to conduct an additional inquiry into the case. A petition will be filed in the relevant court requesting the Honorable Magistrate to permit further investigation”.

The statement comes on the same day the Telangana Police submitted a closure report before a local court. According to the closure report, the police have concluded that Vemula took his own life in 2016 out of fear that his true caste identity would be exposed, as he did not belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category.

Vemula's death snowballed into a political controversy with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacking the Central government and the then Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani slamming alleged attempts to project it as a caste battle.

The Congress had then attacked Irani, Bandaru Dattatreya and other BJP and ABVP functionaries in connection with the suicide and over alleged discrimination against students from marginalised sections in universities.

It is understood that the closure report had given a clean chit to then Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao and exonerated then Secunderabad MP Dattatreya, Member of Legislative Council N Ramachander Rao, ABVP leaders, and minister Irani.
(With PTI inputs)

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