The cheques for scholarship was received by the Joint Action Committee on behalf of Vemula and JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar on behalf of the students' body.
According to Ajay Patnaik, JNUTA president, who handed over the scholarships, "the award goes to them as student representatives/ bodies seeking to strengthen India's constitutional democracy by upholding the constitutional ideals of fraternity, equality and right to life, and inspiring many others across the country."
The Irom Sharmila Scholarship was instituted by a faculty from Delhi University in 2012. Professor Nandini Sundar, Faculty of Social Science, DU has set up the scholarship. It is open to any post graduate student (MA-Phd) enrolled in any educational institution in Delhi in any subject who comes from an area with internal armed conflict, including Northeast, Kashmir and Central India.
Sharmila also extended her solidarity via a video message that was played on the occasion where she said, "I think building a university is just like a temple for young minds. So why should government or concerned authority restrict their thoughts and debates? I extend my solidarity to students' democratic, progressive movements and voice of dissent in university campuses to justice for Rohith Vemula and other student."