The University of Hyderabad has announced an ex-gratia of Rs.8 lakh to the bereaved family of Rohith Vemula Chakravarti, who committed suicide on the campus on January 17, creating a nationwide furore.
The Demand Draft will be handed over to his mother Radhika by a team of the university officials, a statement from the university said on Friday.
Officials said that it has been a practice for the last few years to pay compensation. In 2013 too university responded similarly when Madari Venkatesh, a dalit PhD scholar from Advanced Centre for Research in High Energy Materials (ACRHEM) ended his life consuming poison.
The decision to provide financial assistance to the family was taken after a committee headed by Prof. V. Krishna recommended reforms and measures to make the campus a more inclusive and rewarding experience for students from these communities.
An official revealed that financial assistance was also provided in earlier cases related to suicides on campus after the students went on protests against the administration. However, the quantum of ‘compensation’ was less.
