Latest news with #RohithVemulaAct
Mint
a day ago
- Politics
- Mint
Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka plans bill for crowd management at events after 11 people killed
Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said on Thursday said that the state government is expected to discuss the key bills in the next cabinet meeting, which include the one on crowd control and management in the wake of the June 4 stampede in Bengaluru that killed 11 people, reported PTI. According to the report, other bills likely to be discussed include Bills against misinformation or fake news, and hate speeches and crimes. "Four bills were proposed today – Karnataka crowd control, managing crowd at events and venue of mass gathering Bill, 2025; Karnataka Rohith Vemula Bill, 2025; Karnataka misinformation, fake news prohibition Bill, 2025; Karnataka hate speech and hate crimes prevention Bill, 2025," Patil told reporters after the cabinet meeting. He said, "these Bills were proposed at the meeting today. I mentioned that on some Bills there is a need for a detailed discussion. It has been decided that before the next cabinet meeting, concerned ministers will meet and discuss and bring the Bills before the cabinet." Earlier on 4 June, a stampede occurred on the evening in front of the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru, where a large number of people thronged to participate in the RCB team's IPL victory celebrations. Eleven people died and 56 were injured in the incident. The government is also mulling to bring the draft Rohith Vemula Bill which reportedly proposes for compensation of up to ₹ 1 lakh for students who face caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions. It also proposes jail term of one year and pay a fine of ₹ 10,000 for guilty. In April, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, requesting the Karnataka government to enact "Rohith Vemula Act" to ensure that no one faces caste-based discrimination in the education system. Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student, allegedly died by suicide due to caste-based discrimination in Hyderabad, in 2016.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Karnataka: Siddaramaiah government mulls bill on crowd control post Bengaluru stampede; 'Rohith Vemula Bill' also on the cards
File photo NEW DELHI: Karnataka government is planning to roll out a bill on crowd control and management, according to state law and Parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil. This comes in the wake of tragic stampede on June 4 that killed 11 people in Bengaluru. Other bills that are set to be tabled include Rohith Vemula Bill, 2025; Karnataka misinformation, fake news prohibition Bill, 2025; Karnataka hate speech and hate crimes prevention Bill, 2025, the minister informed. "Four bills were proposed today -- Karnataka crowd control, managing crowd at events and venue of mass gathering Bill, 2025; Karnataka Rohith Vemula Bill, 2025; Karnataka misinformation, fake news prohibition Bill, 2025; Karnataka hate speech and hate crimes prevention Bill, 2025," Patil told reporters on Thursday. He added that "these Bills were proposed at the meeting today. I mentioned that on some Bills there is a need for a detailed discussion. It has been decided that before the next cabinet meeting, concerned ministers will meet and discuss and bring the Bills before the cabinet." The stampede took place on the evening of June 4 outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, where massive crowds had gathered to join the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team's IPL victory celebrations. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025: Steel Suppliers From Mexico At Lowest Prices (Take A Look) Steel Suppliers | search ads Search Now Undo The incident resulted in 11 deaths and left 56 others injured. Top Congress leadership, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, had called upon the state leadership to take accountability post stampede, reportedly saying that "human lives are of great value" to the party and that the administration must be responsive, unlike the BJP in Uttar Pradesh or the Left government in Kerala. Additionally, the proposed draft of the Rohith Vemula Bill reportedly includes provisions for compensation of up to Rs 1 lakh for students subjected to caste-based discrimination in higher education institutions. It also recommends a one-year jail sentence and a fine of Rs 10,000 for those found guilty. In April, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah to introduce the "Rohith Vemula Act" to prevent caste-based discrimination within the education system. Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student from Hyderabad, died by suicide in 2016 after facing caste-based discrimination.
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
3 Years Jail, Rs 50,000 Fine: Karnataka's Crowd Management Bill After Bengaluru Stampede
Last Updated: A stampede during a victory match following RCB's historic win in IPL 2025 claimed 11 lives in Bengaluru. The Karnataka government had to face major backlash after that. Days after a major stampede in Bengaluru during a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) victory event left 11 dead, the Karnataka government is set to bring a new crowd management bill. The bill is expected to be discussed in the next cabinet meeting, state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said on Thursday. Notably, the bill doesn't just hold event organisers responsible for failing to manage crowds, but it also proposes a fine of Rs 50,000 and up to three years of imprisonment. 'Four bills were proposed today — Karnataka crowd control, managing crowd at events and venue of mass gathering Bill, 2025; Karnataka Rohith Vemula Bill, 2025; Karnataka misinformation, fake news prohibition Bill, 2025; Karnataka hate speech and hate crimes prevention Bill, 2025," Patil told reporters after the cabinet meeting. 'These Bills were proposed at the meeting today. I mentioned that on some Bills there is a need for a detailed discussion. It has been decided that before the next cabinet meeting, concerned ministers will meet and discuss and bring the Bills before the cabinet," he added. On June 4, a major stampede in front of the Chinnaswamy stadium left 11 dead. The incident took place after a large number number of RCB supporters thronged to participate in the team's victory celebrations. Besides 11 dead, 53 people were injured in the tragic incident. Other Bills Introduced Earlier in April, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urging him to enact the 'Rohith Vemula Act" to ensure that no one faces caste-based discrimination in the education system. First Published: June 19, 2025, 17:45 IST
The Hindu
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Campaign for Rohith Vemula Act writes to CM Siddaramaiah with suggestions
In the wake of the Karnataka government setting in motion the drafting of the 'Rohith Vemula Act', the Campaign for Rohith Vemula Act, a voluntary group, has written to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Higher Education Minister Sudhakar, suggesting ways and measures to strengthen the proposed legislation, while welcoming the move. The letter suggested that the government open up the drafting process in compliance with the pre-legislative consultation policy of 2014. It pointed out that the UPA-2 government followed the same to frame the laws and implementation of rules. 'Accordingly, extensive consultations must be organised on this draft,' said lawyer and activist Vinay Sreenivasa, who has been part of the campaign. Special provisions The letter also demanded that while providing protection to backward classes, minority students too, special provisions should be made in the proposed legislation with respect to the students belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It pointed out that students belonging to SC and ST communities have historically experienced more discrimination and harassment. 'Opinion of students, student organisations, educationalists and Dalit organisations of the state should be sought for this Act,' the letter further demanded. Campaign for Rohith Vemula Act involving Dalit organisations, student groups, intellectuals, academicians, lawyers, social workers, and journalists, among others, has been demanding drafting and implementation of the act for the last one year. Letter from Rahul Recently, following a letter from the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Mr. Siddaramaiah assured that his government will enact the Act to eliminate caste- and identity-based discrimination in educational institutions.
Indian Express
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Opinion Rahul Gandhi's call to pass Rohith Vemula Act is welcome but its effectiveness in creating a more equitable social environment will depend on the details
On January 17, 2016, Rohith Vemula — a scholar who loved the stars and wanted to become a writer like Carl Sagan — died by suicide on the Hyderabad Central University campus. His death stirred up a mass movement that brought into sharp focus the rampant institutionalised casteism within Indian academia. According to the IC3 institute reports, more than 13,000 students die by suicide annually in India. This number, most likely much higher due to under-reporting of such events, is still just the tip of the iceberg. Suicide is the most extreme step that a student often considers as the only way when all other measures to cope fail. Most of them try to absorb the trauma, resulting in mental health issues, declining confidence and performance, self-harm or dropping out altogether. At the core of this issue lies the attitude of academic administrators and professors who mistake piling on pressure, and often abuse, on students as a praxis of 'rigour'. Mostly, any talk of softness and empathy is dismissed as 'weakness'. Sociologically, this attitude towards learning stems from the tradition of guru-shishya Parampara. In this framework, the 'guru' is all-knowing and is usually never wrong, while the 'shishya' can only learn through 'pariksha' or an ever-intensifying series of challenges and tests. Ostensibly, absorbing such principles, higher education becomes a journey where the students are constantly forced to prove that they are worthy enough for the institutions to teach them. In a caste-ridden society like India, this is a dangerous framework for higher-education institutions (HEIs). Due to centuries of exclusion, thousands of castes in the country do not have the privilege of intergenerational literacy or formalised learning traditions. Such a society needs an empathetic framework of upskilling and educating its masses. In its absence, structurally, we are bound to end up with a deeply alienating system where most former students remember their learning years as a period of discomfort and trauma, not one of joy and discovery. Against this backdrop, Rahul Gandhi's request to the chief ministers of the three Congress-ruled states — Telangana, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh — to enact a 'Rohith Vemula Act' aimed at dealing with the caste discrimination in HEIs is a welcome move. While details of the legislation are yet to be clear, it appears each state will have its own version with some common pointers: Marking the denial to admission or amenities to the SC/ST/OBC students or demanding money from them as cognisable offences; provisions for financial compensation in the case of student suicides, etc. While these are well-thought-out provisions, the effectiveness of such a bill in creating a more inclusive and equitable social environment will depend on the details of the legislation. After all, caste discrimination and humiliation are multifaceted and embedded in a variety of social behaviours, rituals and policies. Addressing them requires more than a token law and a compensation promise. First, Indian HEIs have historically been known for evading accountability and rendering complaint cells impotent by staffing them with pliant personnel and friendly external interlocutors whose primary motivation seems to be safeguarding institutional reputation. The law must be mindful of this and provide for a time-bound, transparent and independent complaint redressal mechanism. Second, while sensitisation has been mandated on ragging and gender safety, no Indian HEI, in all likelihood, takes similar initiatives to sensitise students on caste. This is an extremely important step as most Indian schools end up incepting students with a deep resentment towards caste-based affirmative action due to differential admission cut-offs for most HEIs. No mandated intervention counters this by explaining affirmative action principles, making a data-driven case for caste diversity and addressing the importance of bringing marginalised caste groups to higher education institutions for national capacity-building. Third, beyond complaints and sensitisation, the structural composition of caste within academia also needs to be addressed. There is no better buffer against brazen casteism than bringing on board a higher proportion of SC/ST/OBC faculty within the administration. Presently, most public institutions flout reservation mandates in hiring, while private HEIs have inexplicably been given a free rein in this regard. As a result, the administrative bodies responsible for policy in these institutions are thoroughly dominated by 'upper castes'. If the Rohith Vemula Act is to make a real difference, it needs to address this caste imbalance. Lastly, the act would also need to outline clear punitive measures against institutions that violate the mandates. These measures must be severe, such as revocation of recognition and rankings, heavy fines and criminal charges against the administrations, with a commitment from the state to enforce the same. Without this, the inactivity of these administrations on caste matters will not be shaken.
