Hyderabad, October 1: Radhika Vemula, mother of late Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, has condemned Amnesty International India (AII) after one its ex-employee alleged discrimination against Dalits and Muslims.
Radhika, who has emerged as the forefront of pro-Dalit and pro-Muslim agitations in the last 3 years, has asked AII to pull down all her videos in which has associated with the human rights' body. Two Years After Son’s Rohith Vemula’s Suicide, Mother Radhika Claims Indian Union Muslim League Used Them For Their Political Gains.
She had last recorded videos for AII when they were campaigning for the release of Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, held for 16 months by the Uttar Pradesh government under National Security Act.
"I strongly condemn the discrimination against Dalits and Muslims in Amnesty International India. Unless action is taken against the management involved in the discrimination, I withdraw my support to Amnesty," Radhika said in a video.
"The injustice against Dalit and Muslims is intolerable. Until action is taken against the offenders, please take down my videos. I extend my solidarity to Mariya Salim and others who faced discrimination," she further added.
Watch Radhika Vemula Speaking Out Against Amnesty India:
Radhika Amma, Rohith Vemula’s Mother, withdraws her support to @AIIndia in light of the discriminatory practices of the org's management. @kuminaidoo @amnesty @thewire_in #TakenInjusticePersonally pic.twitter.com/MoCtYmdAMK
— Mariya Salim (@MariyaS87) October 1, 2018
Marya Salim, who recently resigned from Amnesty, claimed that the top and middle management of the human rights' firm discriminated against the lower caste Hindus and religious minorities.
She claimed that the housekeeping staff, who belonged to the Dalit community, were asked to wear a seperate dress. When she raised a complaint claiming that it was discriminatory, the organisation failed to reply.
Marya, in her complaint to the organisation, alleged that her growth was being stalled due to her religious affiliation. An internal probe committee, comprising of two Amnesty India HRs, dismissed the plaint after investigation.
Amnesty India COO Raj Kapil said the charges are baseless, claiming that 42.19 per cent of their employees are Dalits, tribals and other marginalised communities, whereas, 27.39 percent belong to religious minorities. "Diversity is at our core, we take harassment complaints seriously," he said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 01, 2018 08:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).