'Our People Are Working Hard, But Why Are We Not Winning?'

Muthukrishnan, a 25-year-old Dalit student of Jawaharlal Nehru University was found hanging at the house of a friend on Monday. He had allegedly committed suicide due to depression over discriminatory admission policies in JNU. 

Revisiting his blog 'DALITerature', one would be able to gather his close association with the Rohith Vemula movement. 

Excerpts from the article- 

'On June 17. The same date (January) Rohith went to the stars. I stepped out of the HCU main gate and parked my cycle at the bus stop. ..To the left, there was a tiny platform on which the people supporting the hunger strike sat....Along with the relay hunger strike banner, a blue coloured poster was hanging with slogans – “Arrest Apparao Podile” and “Revoke Illegal Suspension” and “Apply SC/ST PoA Act” etc.'

Radhika amma, mother of Rohith anna, was sitting there....

 It was the fourth day of the relay hunger strike after the suspension of two faculty members. While looking at her tired feet, I asked, “How is your health amma? Did you come from Guntur?”. She said “yes babu”. Then she asked me “Have you met Rohith?”

I said “Yes amma, I met him one day before his demise.”

We(Rohith and I)  used to call each other Anna. We both asked each other, “Anna, have you had dinner?” Rohith said, “I will have it later anna”. ..After that, we spoke about the movement and he said “Our first stage of democratic protest is velivada, later we will go for hunger strike etc.” I said, “Then I will also join with you anna, and he said “Thank you, anna”. I said goodnight and left.

The next day I was sitting at the shop com and from there I saw the Health Centre ambulance entering into the C hostel road. ... Then our friends thought that somebody might have attempted suicide. Two of my friends went on the bike to check things out. They came with the sad news that Rohith killed himself. Then we all went to the NRS hostel, where we saw Rohith’s body on the freezer.

Second time I met Rohith was near the NRS mess on the way to Dickens room. Rohith was coming from the opposite side. “Anna, very soon we are going to organise a GBM, so please do come and bring our friends. And take some responsible post this time,” he told me.

I said, “Anna, our people are working hard but why are we not winning?” I remembered the 2013 Students Union elections. Rohith said, “No anna, this time surely we are going to  win. We will continue our hard work, and our life is always a struggle. 

The sixth time was also the last time I had met him. At least once everyday I remember this. And I can feel the pain of an innocent mother. Because my mother used to say, “For our community, boys are the wealth. They are going to study and earn and help, not only their family but our community as a whole.”Dear anti-nationals, this country killed the son of an innocent mother.

They said “Bharat Mata has lost her son”. But they hurt the mother by questioning her caste and identity. Can she really support their nationalism after this injustice?

Dear anti-nationals, let me tell you, one day this nation’s leader is going to sell all. Just for a selfie and for a standing ovation from the outsiders. Hundreds and hundreds of Dappa Raos are going to kill thousands of Rohiths and they are going to say, “He/She was a gifted student”.

They are going to kill many Rohiths, like us, just for eating beef, for being rational, for being intellectually productive for the country. But we are the real sons of this land and after we are all killed, there will be no nation.

What are you waiting for to support an innocent mother?

This piece first appeared on his blog.