It was an emotional meeting of two bereaved mothers. Radhika Vemula, University of Hyderabad research scholar Rohith Vemula’s mother, met Jisha’s mother Rajeshwari in Perumbavoor on Monday. It has been almost two weeks since Dalit law student Jisha’s brutal murder, but the investigation is yet to achieve any significant breakthroughs.
As Jisha's mother cried, in an effort to unburden her sorrows, Radhika Vemula held on to her tightly. The meeting in the afternoon lasted for around 30 minutes at the Perumbavoor Taluk Hospital as hospital authorities would not let the visitors stay longer.
After meeting Jisha’s mother, Radhika told reporters, “We should fight until we get justice for Jisha.”
"Radhika Vemula told Rajeshwari that she was not alone in the fight for justice. She told her that she too was struggling to get justice for her son and she knew the pain of losing a child. Radhika Vemula expressed shock at the brutality," said Dhontha Prasanth, Rohith's friend who had accompanied Radhika Vemula to Kerala.
Radhika Vemula and others then went to Jisha's house in Perumbavoor. "All the other houses in the area were lavish, luxurious houses. They were socially ostracised," Prasanth said.
Since the death of her son Rohith, allegedly as a result of harassment by the administration of the University of Hyderabad and others, Radhika has carried on a campaign for justice for her son, speaking on the question of harassment of Dalits like her son at various occasions.