This refers to the editorial, “Premature accusations” (January 21). It is sad that Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula took the easy route to escape the clutches of caste. We wish the budding scientist had managed to cope with the hostile conditions and lived on to fight the uphill battle against prejudice.
Rohith became a casualty of the society’s continued tolerance of intense caste discrimination. His only crime was that he was born into a ‘lower caste’ and yet aspired for a scientific career. His death exemplifies how our life is overwhelmingly determined by the social circumstances of our birth.