Smriti Irani, human resource development minister, addressed a media conference on Wednesday in New Delhi on the controversy that followed the suicide of University of Hyderabad research scholar Rohith Vemula. The following are highlights of the minister’s contentions and the response from Uday Kumar, the core committee member of the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA). Rohith was part of the ASA. The italicised sentences are annotations by this newspaper.

Irani: On August 3-4, 2015, an FIR was registered, indicating that a group of students belonging to the ASA attacked an OBC student

(The minister did not mention that the student she was referring to is Susheel Kumar, an ABVP leader who was allegedly assaulted by Rohith and others. The minister seems to be underscoring that the Centre could not have overlooked the assault on an OBC student.)

Kumar: It was not at all an attack on ABVP leader Susheel Kumar as is being portrayed. We went to his room and asked why he posted derogatory remarks on Facebook about the ASA. That led to an argument

Irani: The proctorial board of the university enquired but did not consult all the parties

Kumar: Proctorial board consulted all parties and gave its report saying there was no evidence of manhandling by the ASA students

Irani: The executive council of the university approved punishment for expulsion based on the proctorial committee report

Kumar: The EC expelled five students but withdrew after student protests

Irani: Later, a sub-committee headed by the senior-most professor from the Dalit community upheld the punishment

Kumar: The sub-committee was headed by Prof Vipin Srivastava, who is not from the Dalit community. But the committee had a Dalit faculty member, Prof P. Prakash Babu

Irani: Students have challenged it in the high court, which did not agree to stay the penalty

Kumar: The matter is in the court. It has not stayed the punishment

Irani: The suicide note certified by the police has reference to the ASA where Vemula said there are some bad waters in us

Kumar: The suicide note says he was sorry to disappoint all of us by his action but where is this “bad waters in us”?

(An image of the purported suicide note, which is unsigned, has the following as its last paragraph: “To ASA family, sorry for disappointing all of you. You loved me very much.”

The following sentence has been crossed out with pen with single strokes: “There are some bad water in us blo (sic).”

On another page, an entire paragraph had been crossed out but with multiple strokes over each word with the following clarification in brackets: “I myself strike these words off. V.R.C)”

The crossed-out “bad water” sentence does not have any clarification.

The letter ends with the words: “I wish all the very best for the future. For one last time, Jai Bheem. Bye...!”)

Irani: Hanumanth Rao wrote to me on November 17, 2014, claiming suicides by several students from marginalised communities in the university in past four years. Six reminders were sent to university

Kumar: It is surprising that the university did not bother to reply in the case of Rao’s complaint about suicide by students while the HRD sent six reminders. This shows the university acted only because BJP and ABVP leaders were behind the complaint against the ASA

Irani: We forwarded the letter by (Union minister) Bandaru Dattatreya (against the ASA). It is the university’s responsibility to reply, we do not impose anything

Kumar: HRD need not force the university to act when the university itself is too eager to take action, keeping in view the party in power

Irani: There is a malicious attempt to ignite passion, making it appear like a caste battle, which is not the case

Kumar: We are not igniting any caste passion. All student organisations are involved in our agitation seeking justice to Vemula and his family

Irani: Dattatreya himself is a Yadav

(The minister seems to be suggesting that since Dattatreya himself belongs to the backward class, he would not indulge in casteist activities)

Kumar: Dattatreya may be a Yadav but he started the caste debate by saying the university has become a den of casteism, anti-national activities