IIT-B Dalit student’s death | Darshan’s father writes to institute director seeking outside probe, rejecting internal panel report

The deceased student’s father Rameshbhai Solanki says IIT Bombay’s internal committee report over Darshan Solanki’s alleged death by suicide has left him disheartened and dashed his hopes of justice.

Rameshbhai Solanki, the father of 18-year-old Darshan Solanki, who allegedly died by suicide at IIT-Bombay in February, on March 24 wrote to institute Director Subhasis Chaudhuri seeking “with folded hands” that the probe into his son’s death be handed over to an “outside” State or Central agency.

After the death of the first-year Chemical Engineering student, his family alleged he faced caste-based discrimination on campus. Following this, more students from IIT-B and other IITs have come out with instances of caste discrimination on campuses.

IIT-B constituted an internal panel to look into the death, following which the panel submitted an interim report on March 2 ruling out any caste discrimination in his case.

Mr. Rameshbhai, in his letter to the Director said, “I had some hopes that the administration would do justice to my son. But the internal committee report has left me disheartened and dashed my hopes of justice. I completely reject this report. This report is not only false but inhuman.”

He continued, “The report holds my son responsible for his own death. What kind of institution, which promises to provide a safe and nurturing environment to its students especially from ST/SC background, blames them for the hardships they face?”

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Mr. Rameshbhai added that the institute seemed to blame his son for “not knowing how to use computers and for not being conversant in English”. He said, “With great sleight of hand the institute labels my son lazy and not hardworking”.