IIT Bombay Mourn: Institutional murder of Dalit student Darshan Solanki

An 18-year-old Dalit student from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay Darshan Solanki, allegedly died by suicide on Sunday in a hostel building located on the institute's campus.

Dalit student dies after jumping from hostel

The student was identified as Darshan Solanki, a native of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, police said. He was studying the first year of the B.Tech mechanics program at the IIT-Mumbai campus located in the Powai area of the city.

A police officer said the student, Darshan Solanki, a native of Ahmedabad, had joined IIT Bombay three and a half months ago and was a BTech student. “We have eyewitnesses who saw Solanki jump from the shelter area of the shelter building. We are recording statements from his roommates and we are trying to determine the motive,” the officer said.

Police inspected the location on campus and concluded that the student may have jumped from the shelter area on the seventh floor of the hostel building.

One case of accidental death has been registered. The security guards of the hostel buildings were the first to detect the body of the deceased student.

IIT Bombay Mourn

The institute authorities have informed the student's relatives. Police said they will continue the investigation to find out the real cause of the student's death. As the student is only a freshman, the police and high school authorities are investigating the matter from all angles.

Shortly after the incident came to light on Sunday, the institute's principal, Subhasis Chaudhuri “We regret to inform the loss of a first-year student in a tragic incident this afternoon. Powai police is investigating the case. The parents of the student have been informed and they are on their way. We deeply mourn the death of the student and pray that the family gets the strength to bear this loss. May his soul rest in peace.”

APPSC IIT Bombay tweeted "We mourn the loss of an 18 year old dalit student, Darshan Solanki, who joined @iitbombay 3 months back for his BTech. We must understand that this is not a personal/individualised issue, but an institutional murder".

The tweet further reads "Despite our complaints the institute did not care to make the space inclusive and safe for dalit bahujan adivasi students. First-year students face the most harassment in terms of anti-reservation sentiments and taunts of non-deserving and non- meritorious. There is a lack of representation of faculty and counsellors from the marginalized".

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