Lucknow, Jan 18 (IANS): Eight years after his death, clashes broke out between two student groups at Lucknow University over an event to commemorate the death anniversary of Rohith Vemula.

The two student organisations got into a heated argument and raised slogans against each other. However, the police and the university administration intervened and separated both the groups.

Rohith Vemula, a Dalit Ph.D scholar, hanged himself in his hostel room on January 17, 2016, 12 days after he was expelled from the hostel.

He was one among the five research scholars suspended by the Hyderabad Central University administration. All five of them were accused of assaulting an ABVP student leader.

His death triggered widespread protests across India as a case of discrimination against Dalit students.

The student groups, belonging to different ideologies, clashed when one group blamed the other for driving the Dalit student to end his life.