#JusticeForDarshanSolanki: IIT Bombay Students Call For Nationwide Candle-March Tomorrow

#JusticeForDarshanSolanki: Students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have called for a nationwide candlelight march tomorrow(February 19) to demand justice for Darshan Solanki, a first-year student who died after jumping off the hostel building.

#JusticeForDarshanSolanki: Students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have called for a nationwide candlelight march tomorrow (February 19) to demand justice for Darshan Solanki, a first-year student who died after jumping off the hostel building. Expressing full support for the candle march, the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), a student body on the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay campus, took to Twitter, “Let Us Be United to Ensure Justice for Darshan We fully support the call for a nation wide candle march on 19th February given by Darshan’s family to ensure justice is made in this case. We appeal to the student community everywhere in the country to participate in this call.” The student group asked students to participate in candle marches at their respective colleges.

#JusticeForDarshanSolanki: CHECK APPSC TWEET HERE

Let Us Be United to Ensure Justice for Darshan
We fully support the call for a nation wide candle march on 19th February given by Darshan’s family to ensure justice is made in this case. We appeal to the student community everywhere in the country to participate in this call pic.twitter.com/xcEY20Xt7B

— APPSC IIT Bombay (@AppscIITb) February 18, 2023

IIT BOMBAY FORMS A PANEL TO CONDUCT A PARALLEL PROBE

Earlier today, IIT Bombay formed a panel to conduct a “parallel” probe into the death of a first-year B.Tech student amid allegations of caste bias and has urged its students to come forward if they have “relevant” information. The panel is headed by Professor Nand Kishore and also has SC/ST Students Cell members, including faculty and students, a few student mentor coordinators and the in-charge chief medical officer of IIT Bombay hospital, said a statement by institute Director Subhasis Chaudhuri on Saturday, news agency PTI reported.

SUICIDE OR MURDER? WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED ON FEBRUARY 12?

Darshan Solanki (18), who belonged to a Scheduled Caste community, allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the seventh floor of a hostel building on the Powai campus of the IIT on February 12, but his family suspects foul play in his death and said he faced discrimination. The Powai police are investigating the matter and have also visited Solanki’s home in Ahmedabad. Highlighting that Prof. Nand Kishore was the chief vigilance officer of IIT Bombay till recently and is experienced “in these matters”, Chaudhari said that the committee is actively meeting everyone who might have relevant information.

Institute Director Subhasis Chaudhuri Appeal

“If you have any information that you believe may be relevant, please reach out to the committee by either meeting any of the committee members, or by emailing Prof. Nand Kishore or to the Powai Police,” Chaudhari appealed through the statement. IIT Bombay and police are actively investigating the “environment, incidents, and reasons behind Darshan’s tragic death”, it said. The police have interviewed a large number of people, and also taken Solanki’s phone and laptop for forensic analysis, Chaudhari added, reported PTI.

IIT Bombay Working Towards Changes in UG curriculum

In the statement, Chaudhari said IIT B is working towards changes in their UG curriculum, starting with the batch of 2022, to make it “more relevant and motivating to students, and to reduce some of the stress”. Calling some media reports about the student’s death “premature”, Chaudhari said that “as the matter is sub-judice so we cannot comment on the causes until either police report or our inquiry committee report is ready”.

As per Chaudhari, IIT Bombay has an SC/ST students cell, where students can reach in case of issues including discrimination. “We are working actively to create an inclusive campus where all students feel at home,” Chaudhari said. He said they give strong warnings against any discrimination during new students’ formal orientation and also sensitise all students to not seek proxy information such as ranks in entrance exams. “We have a very strict policy on discrimination by faculty,” Chaudhari said.

Darshan Solanki’s Family Claims

Solanki’s family on Wednesday claimed that he faced discrimination at IIT B for belonging to an SC community and maintained that there was a strong possibility that he was “murdered”. As per a police official, his parents had visited Mumbai to collect their son’s body. In their initial statements, they had not raised any objection to the probe or expressed doubt over the cause of their son’s death, said the official had said earlier.

SIT Probe on Darshan Solanki Death: Gujarat Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani Demands

Gujarat Congress MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani has demanded a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into Solanki’s death.

जातिगत भेदभाव के कारण 19 वर्षीय दर्शन सोलंकी को IIT मुंबई में आत्महत्या करने को मजबूर होना पड़ा।

दर्शन के न्याय के लिए 19 तारीख़ को हम अहमदाबाद शहर में केंडल मार्च करेगें। #JusticeForDarshanSolanki pic.twitter.com/E86WrM81f1

— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) February 17, 2023

— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) February 17, 2023

“A candle march will be taken out in Ahmedabad on February 19 to bring justice to Darshan Solanki’s family. I request everyone to join me,” tweeted Mevani.

दर्शन सोलंकी के परिवार को न्याय दिलाने हेतु 19 फरवरी को अहमदाबाद में कैंडल मार्च निकाला जाएगा।

साथ जुड़ने का सभी से में निवेदन करता हूं।

कैंडल मार्च का रूट। #JusticeForDarshanSolanki pic.twitter.com/tEWYPnAsmw

— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) February 17, 2023

Post-Mortem Done in A Haste and Without Permission, Claims Father

The deceased student’s father Rameshbhai Solanki alleged the institute as well as hospital authorities had tried to cover up the matter and performed a post-mortem on the body even before he reached Mumbai. “I do not think it was a case of suicide. If you fall from the seventh floor, you will sustain many injuries. But, when I saw my son’s face after the post-mortem, I did not see any injuries. How is that possible? Moreover, the PM (post-mortem) was done in a haste and that too without our permission. I was allowed to see only his face after the PM,” claimed Rameshbhai Solanki.