IIT-B suicide: Solanki’s family reiterates caste discrimination claims in chargesheet

STRAP: National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) to hear case on June 1

MUMBAI: In their statements to the special investigation team (SIT) of the Mumbai police, family members of IIT-Bombay student Darshan Solanki have reiterated their claims that the chemical engineering student died by suicide because of the caste discrimination prevailing in the institution.

The statements form part of the chargesheet filed by the SIT on Tuesday against Darshan’s batchmate Arman Khatri, who has been booked for abetting the suicide. The SIT has claimed that Arman had threatened Darshan after he made some adverse comments on Arman’s religion, after which the 19-year-old died by suicide.

Darshan’s family members, in their statements to the SIT, claimed that he faced caste-based discrimination in the institution from other students as well. Darshan’s mother said that her son had reiterated this in several conversations with his sister Janhvi, once saying that his roommates used to torture him over small things.

Janhvi, in her statement, said that Darshan told her that when students and others in the institute found out about his caste, their behaviour towards him changed. They would often ‘debate’ whether the oppressed castes should get free education. When Darshan consulted his senior for advice, he was told not to mention his caste or he would face ragging and mental stress.

An IIT-B student told the SIT that Darshan wanted to change his roommate, as the latter had stopped talking to him after he came to know about his rank. The roommate, however, in his statement said that things were fine and even before Darshan jumped to his death, he had complimented him on his shirt, saying he was looking “like a hero”. In November 2022, he added, when everyone bought a cake for him, Darshan too contributed and enjoyed his birthday party.

The roommate further said that on the day of the incident, all the students had gone to have breakfast together and later gathered in their room to see the new game he had installed on his laptop. The roommate’s contention was that Darshan was fearful about failing.

Meanwhile, a hearing in the case has been scheduled by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on June 1, to which the investigation officer, Maharashtra DGP, Mumbai police commissioner, IIT-B director, Maharashtra chief secretary and the Mumbai suburban collector have been invited. The notice requests that all parties bring “an up-to-date Action Taken Report and all relevant documents to facilitate the hearing”. The latter has been initiated based on a complaint by the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), which described Darshan’s suicide as an institutional murder.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court lawyer Disha Wadekar filed an additional affidavit on the PIL filed against the University Grants Commission seeking guidelines to prevent suicides in higher education institutions. “Death by suicide of SC and ST students cannot merely be addressed as an individualised mental health concern but must be paid attention to as a product of prevalent caste discrimination within these institutions,” said Wadekar in her affidavit. “The only rational and workable solution to this is constant sensitisation of the entire academic community and greater representation of the excluded and marginalised castes within the process of decision-making.”

While talking to HT, Wadekar claimed that this was intended to be addressed by the planned Rohith Act, which many campaigners demanded after University of Hyderabad PhD scholar Rohith Vemula killed himself, but that demand was never met. “In accordance with UGC norms, all higher education institutions must establish equal opportunity cells and provide the necessary financing for these cells,” she said.