GUNTUR: Reversing its own decision, the Guntur district administration is likely to declare University of Hyderabad Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide on January 17 last year, as belonging to the BC Vaddera community.

His mother Radhika Vemula had said he belonged to the SC community.

Dalit organisations and political parties had staged protests across the country, alleging that his suicide was a result of caste discrimination in the university. Police complaints had been filed under the SC/ST Act against several persons.

The Guntur district administration had earlier declared Rohith as belonging to the SC community, but the Justice (retd) Ash-ok Kumar Roopanwal, which was set up to probe the circumstan-ces of the suicide, ruled that he was not a Dalit.

A fresh screening co-mmittee was appointed to the issue. The committee is on the verge of completing its inquiry and is likely to declare Rohith as a BC in a day or two.

According to the reports, the inquiry committee questioned all family members of Rohith, including his mother and father, on the issue.