Karnataka to enact Rohith Vemula Act, CM Siddaramaiah responds to Rahul Gandhi’s call for justice

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has assured that his government will enact the Rohith Vemula Act, a law aimed at eliminating caste- and identity-based discrimination in educational institutions.

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The assurance comes in response to a letter from Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who wrote to Siddaramaiah on April 16 urging the enactment of the Act in the state. Gandhi invoked the tragic deaths of Rohith Vemula, Payal Tadvi, and Darshan Solanki — all young students who allegedly died by suicide after facing caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions.

“The murder of bright young people like Rohith Vemula, Payal Tadvi and Darshan Solanki is simply not acceptable. It is time to put a firm end to this,” Gandhi wrote. “I urge the Karnataka government to enact the Rohith Vemula Act so that no child of India has to face what Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Rohith Vemula and millions of others have had to endure.”\

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Rahul Gandhi also quoted extensively from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s childhood experiences of caste oppression to stress the continued relevance of Ambedkar’s struggle in present-day India. He described how, even today, students from Dalit, Adivasi, and OBC communities face “brutal discrimination in our educational system.”

Siddaramaiah responds to Rahul Gandhi's letter

Responding to the letters on social media platform X, Siddaramaiah thanked Rahul Gandhi for his “heartfelt letter and unwavering commitment to social justice.”

“Our Govt stands firm in its resolve to enact the Rohith Vemula Act in Karnataka — to ensure no student faces discrimination based on caste, class, or religion. We will bring this legislation at the earliest to honour the dreams of Rohith, Payal, Darshan, and countless others who deserved dignity, not exclusion,” Siddaramaiah said.

The proposed Rohith Vemula Act — long demanded by student activists, Ambedkarite groups, and civil society — aims to hold institutions accountable for caste-based discrimination. It also mandates anti-discrimination cells in all higher education institutions and provide legal provisions to penalise faculty or administrators found guilty of harassment

Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at Hyderabad Central University and a member of Ambedkar Students' Association, died by suicide in January 2016. In his moving suicide note, Rohith spoke about a sense of social exclusion and injustice, triggering nationwide protests and debate on castism in campuses.