Telangana's Director General of Police (DGP), Ravi Gupta, has raised concerns regarding the closure report issued by the police in the case of Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula's suicide. Hours after the report was released, Gupta highlighted discrepancies and announced plans to seek court-guided investigations.
In an exclusive interview with India Today TV, Gupta expressed reservations about the closure report, stating, "There are some doubts with the report. We will request the court to look into the case." He further stated that the police would petition the magistrate to authorize further investigations into the matter.
Gupta emphasized that doubts expressed by Vemula's mother and others necessitated further scrutiny of the case. He disclosed that the Investigation Officer in the case was an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Madhapur and that the closure report was finalized before November 2023 based on their investigation. Gupta indicated that it would be examined whether the investigation officer had withheld information from higher authorities.
The closure report released by the Telangana Police on Friday asserted that Vemula was not of Dalit origin and had taken his own life in 2016 due to apprehensions about his "true caste" being revealed. The report absolved the accused, citing insufficient evidence.
In response, Rohith Vemula's family announced their intention to legally challenge the closure report. His brother, Raja Vemula, revealed that the district collector's pending decision on the family's Scheduled Caste (SC) status prompted the police to consider further investigation.
Subsequently, Rohith Vemula's mother, Radhika Vemula, met Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Saturday, appealing for justice in the case. The Chief Minister assured her that the matter would be reinvestigated.
Gupta reiterated that the investigation officer was the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Madhapur, and the final closure report was completed before November, officially submitted to the jurisdictional court on March 21.
