The family of IIT Bombay Dalit student Darshan Solanki who recently died by suicide are claiming that he faced caste discrimination and stated how several students were angry about his free education, know his rank and branch
According to Darshan’s sister, many of Darshan’s friends and batchmates cut off ties and stopped talking or spending time with him after learning that he was a Dalit.
Who is Darshan Solanki IIT Bombay Dalit student who died by suicide, his biography, age, family, batch, rank, Twitter
Darshan and his sister Jahnvi, 21, who is a final year MCA student, are the first generation of professionals in the family.
According to police, the student was a native of Ahmedabad and was pursuing BTech at the institute’s campus in Powai and reportedly had enrolled for the course just three months ago and his first semester exams had concluded on Saturday. His batch and rank isn’t known.
Today I met the director of IIT Bombay in connection with an alleged suicide of a 19 year old SC student, Darshan Solanki. His relatives argue that it was not a plain suicide, but a result of caste based discrimination.
(1/2)#DalitLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/ksyXE6csjr
— Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar (@DrMungekar) February 17, 2023
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. Despite our complaints the institute did not care to make the pic.twitter.com/qKH6Vw1HPE
— APPSC IIT Bombay (@AppscIITb) February 12, 2023
Darshan Solanki was an 18-year-old Ahmedabad native and Dalit who was studying at IIT Bombay before he decided to commit suicide.
‘Many students are jealous of me”
Another relative of Darshan an aunt, revealed how many of Darshan’s friends were not happy with the fact that he was studying at the premier institute for free. The relative shared:
One month ago when he came here, he was saying that many students don’t like that I am studying for free. People are jealous, they ask ‘why are you studying for free while we are spending a lot of money’. ‘Many students are jealous of me’.
The aunt also revealed how Darshan revealed to her that he had stopped speaking to some of his friends too.
Statement from Darshan’s parents
Darshan’s father Rameshbhai Solanki shared about his last interaction with his deceased son. Rameshbhai revealed how the last spoke with his son just a couple of hours before his death. The father claimed that his son sounded normal when they spoke and even wished his niece on her birthday.
Meanwhile, his wife, also told the media that his son decided to end his life due to the distress and torture that he was suffering at the institution.
IIT Bombay speaks out
Meanwhile, IIT Bombay released a statement on Tuesday refuting all the allegations against the institution saying:
IIT Bombay strongly refutes claims in some news articles about the tragic death of a 1st year BTech student, that imply that the cause was discrimination, and say it amounted to ‘institutional murder’.
According to report, Darshan had allegedly jumped off to death from the eighth floor of a hostel building. Police stated that the incident took place at around 1 pm on Sunday. The Powai police are currently looking in on the matter and have registered a case of accidental death.
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