Relatives and neighbours of IIT pupil Darshan Solanki who allegedly dedicated suicide at IIT Mumbai together with others supporters maintain a candle gentle vigil in Ahmedabad on February 19, 2023 in search of justice for Darshan Solanki.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI
Months after the Mumbai Police arrested a classmate of IIT-Bombay pupil Darshan Solanki for allegedly abetting his suicide based mostly on a word, Mr. Solanki’s family members on Thursday held a press convention in Mumbai saying that they had misplaced confidence within the investigation.
The family, led by the 18-year-old’s father, Rameshbhai Solanki, alleged that the Special Investigation Team probe was sidelining situations of caste discrimination confronted by Mr. Solanki and was as an alternative pinning the blame on one different pupil in a separate matter.
Weeks after the dying of Mr. Solanki on February 12 contained in the IIT-B campus, the Mumbai Police had mentioned that they had recovered a purported suicide word, which allegedly blamed a classmate of his – Arman Iqbal Khatri – for his dying. Based on this word, the police arrested Mr. Khatri on April 9.
The police alleged that that they had transcripts of conversations between Mr. Khatri and Mr. Solanki, the place the previous had allegedly threatened to kill the latter with a paper cutter over feedback about Mr. Khatri being Muslim. The police had additionally famous that Mr. Solanki had apologised repeatedly for his remarks about Mr. Khatri’s faith.
However, inside a month, a courtroom in Mumbai granted Mr. Khatri bail within the case, noting that there was no materials to recommend that he had discriminated in opposition to Mr. Solanki on grounds of caste. It additionally famous that the purported suicide word blaming Mr. Khatri didn’t have some other materials displaying that he had instigated the suicide.
On Thursday, Mr. Solanki’s family mentioned it was “extremely concerning” as to how the probe was continuing by sidelining situations of caste-based discrimination and the way the family was being stored at nighttime in regards to the investigation.
“The investigation ostensibly being conducted by the SIT and the Police authorities does not inspire confidence and is only trying to cover up the caste-based discrimination that Darshan had faced in IIT Bombay,” the family mentioned in an announcement.
The family added that Mr. Solanki’s sister, his aunt, and a senior of his at IIT-Bombay had all submitted to the police that Mr. Solanki was being harassed for his caste identification inside IIT-B.
Further, they mentioned that the police’s claims of the purported word being written by Mr. Solanki was additionally uncertain. They mentioned once they had been proven the word scribbled on the again of a query paper, each Rameshbhai and his daughter had disputed that the handwriting was Mr. Solanki’s.
The Mumbai Police, nevertheless, mentioned that motion was taken on the word solely after examination by forensic specialists..
Despite the “overwhelming evidence pointing to caste discrimination”, the family mentioned it was “appalling” that the police had been sidelining this facet. The family’s assertion mentioned that that they had written to the Chief Minister, Home Minister, Police Commissioner and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) about their considerations. The family has demanded “immediate intervention in this matter to ensure that crucial evidence is not lost/ignored and so that our family gets justice”.
Soon after the dying of Mr. Solanki, dozens of Dalit, Adivasi and Bahujan college students at IITs throughout the nation had come out with allegations of widespread caste discrimination on campuses. This was supported by two surveys carried out by the IIT-Bombay’s SC/ST Cell, which confirmed the identical, as reported by The Hindu.
While these revelations had reignited negotiations within the IIT-B campus about strengthening safeguards for SC/ST/OBC college students on campus, Ambedkarite pupil our bodies within the institute have mentioned that the administration is but to carry detailed discussions with them about the best way forward as promised within the wake of Mr. Solanki’s dying. One pupil mentioned that the Director had promised SC/ST pupils after the dying that an Open House on systemic caste discrimination shall be held. “But we have no news of that yet,” the coed mentioned.
