SIT formed for probe into death of IIT-Bombay student

Darshan Solanki’s family had claimed he faced discrimination at the IIT-Bombay for belonging to a Scheduled Caste community

The Maharashtra government has formed a special investigation team (SIT) headed by a senior police officer to conduct a probe into the alleged suicide of an 18-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, a police official said on Tuesday.

Darshan Solanki, who hailed from Ahmedabad in Gujarat and was a first-year student of B Tech (Chemical) course at the IIT-Bombay, allegedly died by suicide by jumping off the seventh floor of a hostel building located on the campus on February 12.

His family had claimed he faced discrimination at the IIT-Bombay for belonging to a Scheduled Caste community and suspected foul play in his death.

Gujarat Congress MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani had demanded a probe by the SIT into Solanki's death, terming the episode as "suspicious".

On February 24, the government had ordered a probe into Solanki's death, the official said.

The SIT, headed by Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Lakhmi Gautam, will revisit the case and record the statements of Solanki's parents, officials of the institute and students who were witness to the incident, he said.

It will also conduct a probe into the allegations made by various student groups that Solanki faced caste discrimination, he said.