Mumbai: Mumbai Police officials reached Ahmedabad on Thursday to record the statement of the family of the IIT-Bombay student who died by suicide in his hostel building on Sunday even as his family claims he was subject to caste discrimination on the campus.
Darshan Solanki, 18, a first-year Dalit student of B.Tech (Chemical) from Gujarat's Ahmedabad, ended his life after allegedly jumping off his hostel building on the Powai campus of IIT Bombay on February 12. Student group Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) alleged the deceased was a victim of caste discrimination, a claim victim's family backs.
The student association alleged the deceased student faced caste discrimination and has sought the resignation of the director of the premier institute over the matter. Speaking to ETV Bharat over the phone, Devang Kumar, Darshan's uncle, said he was subject to caste discrimination and the SC-ST Cell or Student Wellness Centre at the institute was 'of no use. "His death proves it. We also spoke to his friends who too confirmed that faced discrimination. We are completing his last rites in Gujarat. After that, we will come to Mumbai and file an FIR," Devang said.
Also read: IIT Bombay student dies by suicide; caste discrimination, anti-reservation sentiments alleged
Officials told ETV Bharat that a three-member team of Powai police officials will record the statements of the victim's family members. The team will speak to Darshan's parents and other kin. Police had already spoken to the victim's family over the phone on Wednesday and had also recorded statements of over a dozen persons including some students as well.
While demanding the IIT Bombay Director's resignation, the APPSC has also asked to be made public the report by the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Cell of IIT Bombay, which, the APPSC claims, points out to the lack of institutional support for Dalit students in the campus.
”Despite all the detailed testimonies and data which is available with the institute, the director kept reiterating that 'there is no discrimination' on the campus. We demand his resignation,” the APPSC statement read.
”We want the administration to stop hiding the reports of the surveys conducted by the SC/ST Cell as well as others, and release them for public discussion as soon as possible. The structural issues at IIT B faced by the students have been pointed out time and again to the administration in the last several years. Even the surveys conducted by the SC/ST Cell, and an open house on caste conducted last year detailed the kind of everyday discrimination that our students face on campus,” the statement added. It is pertinent to mention that IIT Bombay has rejected any such charges of caste bias or discrimination against the deceased student.
