Mumbai: Family of IIT-B student who died by suicide demands in-depth probe

A day after the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) categorically denied that there was any on-campus harassment of the first year B Tech student who died by suicide, his family has said that he was constantly harassed by senior students. "This is murder, not a suicide," said Ramesh Solanki, the father of the first-generation Dalit student, Darshan, who died after allegedly jumping off the seventh floor of a hostel on Sunday.

"My son had even tried complaining to the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle that he was being ragged by seniors. There needs to be an in-depth investigation into the matter."

Not murder: Cops

The Saki Naka police, who are investigating the case, however, told mid-day that there were eyewitnesses who saw Darshan jump and that they are treating the case as a suicide. They, however, said they would thoroughly probe the reasons behind his decision and take serious action if there is evidence of abetment or caste-based harassment.

Darshan Solanki

The family had last spoken to Darshan around 12.30 pm on Sunday, when he called his father. He is believed to have killed himself around 1.30 pm.

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"Later in the afternoon, I received a WhatsApp call and a student told me that Darshan fell down, asking us to come to Mumbai immediately," Solanki said. "I was scared when I got another call, with a student telling me to take the first available flight and also to bring my wife along. When I reached the campus and saw his body, my first suspicion was that someone had killed him and thrown him off the seventh floor. He had injuries on the back of his head. I demand an in-depth investigation into this matter," he added.

‘His behaviour changed'

Solanki told mid-day that he could notice changes in Darshan's behaviour after he joined IIT-B and that he told his sister-in-law that he was being ragged badly on campus.

"But he did not share this with me directly. If I was told, I would have called him back home. Even on the day he died, his roommates tried to speak to me, but they went away on seeing the policemen and college staff," he said.

He added that sometime on Sunday afternoon before his death, Darshan had tried calling the study circle to complain about the ragging, but the call went unanswered. The police are investigating this, too, the family said.

Statements to be recorded

The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Saki Naka, Bharat Suryavanshi said they have registered an accidental death report and are recording the statements of fellow students.

"We will also record the parents' statements. If they are not in a position to come to the station, we will send our team to record their statements," said Suryavanshi.

First generation student

Ramesh Solanki works as a plumber and his wife, Tarlika, is a domestic worker in Maninagar, Ahmedabad, according to reports.
Residents of Uttam Nagar in the Maninagar area of Ahmedabad, Darshan's family said he was always a great student, be it at Maninagar's Shardha School, where he studied from Class 1 to 9, or later at the Swami Vivekanand College. His dream was to complete his studies, secure a good job and live in a bungalow with his family.

The family was, in fact, reluctant to send him to Mumbai, but relented on seeing how keen Darshan was to become a chemical engineer from IIT-B.

‘Director must resign'

The student body Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle demanded the resignation of the institute director, Prof Subhasis Chaudhuri, in the light of the family's allegation.

"Data prepared by the SC/ST Cell points to a lack of institutional support for SC/ST students at IIT-B," read the statement. "Despite detailed testimonies and data available with the institute, the director kept reiterating that there is no discrimination on the campus. We demand his resignation."

The student body alleged the IIT-B administration has not appointed any SC/ST counsellors even after its complaints and said this shows blatant disregard towards students' well-being, adding that similar reports from the past also be made public.