IIT-B student's suicide: Students' association writes to Fadnavis

More than a month after the suicide of 18-year-old Dalit student Darshan Solanki of Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, students associations have written to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urging him to direct the Mumbai Police and the Special Investigation Team to file an FIR.

On 12 February 2023, Darshan is reported to have jumped from the seventh floor of his hostel building and his body was found by the security guards who saw him in a pool of blood at the IIT-Bombay Powai campus. Darshan from Ahmedabad, who hailed from the SC community, was a first-year student of the B.Tech (Chemical) course.

Darshan came from a humble background - his father Rameshbhai Solanki works as a plumber while his mother Tarlikaben Solanki is a domestic worker. His sister Jhanvi Solanki is a final-year MCA student.

Also Read | IIT Bombay student suicide: CJI says his heart goes out to the family members

The letter to Fadnavis, who is also the Home Minister, was written by Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle of IIT-Bombay, Ambedkarite Students’ Collective of IIT-Bombay and Concerned Alumni of IIT-Bombay.

The Powai police station has so far not filed the FIR despite Darshan’s parents approaching the police, the students wrote in the letter expressing concern.

“The parents wanted to lodge an FIR on 16 March and came all the way from Ahmedabad to do so. Despite multiple pleas from the parents and accompanying lawyers, the FIR has not been taken,” they said, pointing out that the Deputy Commissioner of Police refused to file the FIR as an SIT has been formed.

It was pointed out that the Supreme Court ruling states that police stations can file FIR regardless of SIT.

There was no help even after meeting the Joint Commissioner of Police, they said.

“Till now, the SIT based their investigation on the ADR filed by the police. The refusal of SIT to base their investigation on FIR is a failure to recognise the rights of the family to register a complaint in respect of cognizable offence as provided under the law,” the letter states.