IIT Bombay student's death: No caste-based discrimination, says probe panel's interim report

The incident hit national headlines, with Students' Unions in several cities of the country staging protests denouncing caste-based discrimination in educational institutions.

Mumbai:The Inquiry Committee set up by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay after the death of its student 18-year-old Darshan Solanki on February 12 allegedly by suicide has ruled out caste-based discrimination and hinted at deteriorating academic performance as a possible cause.

His family had claimed he was facing discrimination since he belonged to a Scheduled Caste and said, "He was frustrated by the caste discrimination and treatment he received". Former Rajya Sabha MP and Vice-Chancellor Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar, along with the Students Union, launched agitation over the inconsistency between the parents' statements and investigation.

Originally from Ahmedabad in Gujarat Solanki, a first-year student of the B Tech (Chemical) course, died on February 12 after allegedly jumping off the seventh floor of his hostel on the campus in Powai. Authorities at the prestigious IITB set up a 12-member Inquiry Committee under Professor Nand Kishore, head of the chemistry department, in connection with the death and allegations surrounding the incident.

Late last month, the police said the Maharashtra government formed a special investigation team to conduct a probe into Solanki's death. The incident hit national headlines, with Students Unions in several cities of the country staging protests denouncing caste-based discrimination in educational institutions.

Earlier, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud expressed concern over instances of alleged suicides by students and said his heart goes out to the bereaved kin of the victims. He said he was wondering where our institutions are going wrong, that students are forced to take their life. Referring to the incident of the alleged suicide of a Dalit student recently in IIT Bombay, he said such incidents, involving victims from marginalised communities are becoming common.