IIT Bombay student's death: Handwriting bureau confirms Darshan Solanki wrote one-line note

The Handwriting Bureau of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) has confirmed to Mumbai Crime Branch's SIT, that the handwriting on a one-line suicide note found on March 3 in his hostel room, matches that of Darshan Solanki. The IIT Bombay student had died by suicide on February 12 by jumping from the 7th floor of his hostel on the institute's Powai campus.

According to sources from the Special Investigation Team (SIT), officials wrote to the handwriting bureau two days after finding the note, and Solanki's family confirmed the match. To ensure a conclusive report, officials submitted three different sets of Solanki's handwriting, all of which matched the writing on the note.

An undated photo of Darshan Solanki (right) and his family

Three samples given

"The matter is very sensitive, so we took samples from his hostel register, answer sheet, and notes from his Std 12 book from his family to get a conclusive report and to avoid future allegations. Now that the note has matched, we will investigate further in that direction," said a senior officer of Mumbai Crime Branch.

Also read: Darshan Solanki case: FIR against unknown person for abetment to suicide

In the one-line suicide note, Solanki allegedly mentioned the name of his classmate and accused him of killing him.

A team from the SIT visited Rajasthan and recorded a statement from a student who graduated from IIT Bombay last year. The deceased's father, Ramesh Solanki, alleged that his son had experienced caste discrimination and harassment, and the student who was interviewed by a news portal corroborated this claim. "Our team visited Rajasthan and recorded his statement, but there was nothing conclusive. The senior student mentioned caste discrimination, but he was not able to explain the exact incident of harassment," said an officer.

The officer also said, "The senior student said that once Solanki told him that his roommate had reduced communication with him since he found his rank and admission under the SC quota, which upset him."

Senior ‘advised' Solanki

The former IIT student whose statement was recorded in Rajasthan told the police that he had advised Solanki not to be stressed about it and that he could find other friends and change his room by submitting an application. "We have written to IIT Powai to check if Solanki made any complaints or requests to change his room, but so far, we have not received any material indicating that he had complained about harassment before any forum," the officer added.

The Crime Branch SIT also recorded a statement from Solanki's roommate, who denied making any casteist comments or reducing communication with him. "We are awaiting forensic reports on Solanki's phone to gain further clarity regarding caste discrimination," the officer further stated.

Mar 3
Day suicide note was found