The Ambedkar Student’s Association was founded in 1993 by a small group of Dalit students at Hyderabad Central University, led by PhD scholar Rajasekhar. “It was a time when the University had a ‘no politics’ policy, and didn’t allow any posters or students organisations,”

But before the ASA, there was the Progressive Students’ Forum, a group formed in 1990 when attempts were made to implement the Mandal Commission’s recommendations of caste-based reservations in government jobs.

Rohith Vemula, doctoral scholar at the University of Hyderabad, observed in his farewell letter to the world that he could never overcome the loneliness of his childhood, and the pain of being unappreciated. With these few words, he spoke for the millions of Dalit children and young people of India and evoked the daily humiliation they continue to endure.

Institutional murder of Rohit Vemula led to establish Ambedkar Students Association at Mumbai in 2016 to avoid such cases in future. ASA will fight against discrimination in and out the campus. Annihilation of Caste, Class and Gender discrimination is a main aim of ASA. It will also encourage to marginalised student to take higher education.