Rohith Vemula died by suicide in 2016 because of caste-based hostilities at a university in Hyderabad, where he was enrolled for a PhD programme. Eight years later, the Telangana police claim that Rohith was not Dalit and that it was likely the fear of his "real caste" being revealed that led him to suicide. At the core of this claim are some formalities of law and policy that must change.