Rohith's tragic end at the hands of Hyderabad University and fundamentalists points towards the grave situation of Dalit community today: obsolescence of its current leadership and absence of the next generation of visionaries.
If there was a pragmatic leadership existed, the poor boy would not have lost his life in pain. It is not only the "manu vaadi" brahminical hegemony that killed Rohit, but it is also the collective reluctance of Dalit community that killed this young scholar.
Where are those leaders of next generation who can reassure the surging educated Dalit youths that their life need not the misery under democratic constitution, a right spearheaded by the legendary Ambedkar ? It is time that a young pan India leadership emerge from the community to collectively organise a decisive political block to demand the rightful place in society.
Its time that Dalit community leave alone the sympathy of the English speaking marxist elites, who's community interest is often driven by their generic humanism than specific demand of the community. Dalit should elect and project leadership from within. Only the leaders from community can understand the plight of the emerging millions of educated Dalits and their aspirations.
It is also time to Dalit community to eradicate the cast hierarchy from within to practice what it wants to achieve. Dalit community should not gloss over the fact that discriminatory cast privileges and practices within the community is instrumental in eroding the community's position against the cast discrimination.
Community must immediately demand a committee in every educational institutions in line with Vishaka committee for sexual harassment to prevent cast discriminations from educational campuses, so that not any more Rohits have to commit suicide.
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