IIT Bombay refutes discrimination allegations; Requests everyone to wait for probe

IIT Bombay has stated that the institute takes utmost precautions to make the campus as inclusive as possible. IIT Bombay has zero tolerance for any discrimination.

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) has refuted allegations of ‘discrimination’ in death of its first year B.Tech student. One of the students group alleged that the student was driven to suicide due to discrimination against Scheduled Caste students on the IIT campus.

Earlier this Sunday afternoon, one of first year B.Tech students of IIT Bombay, Darshan Solanki jumped from the seventh floor of his hostel building.

IIT Bombay has issued a statement strongly refuting 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".

IIT Bombay statement reads: “It is wrong to make such accusations when the police are still investigating the case. Based on initial inputs from friends, there is no indication that the student faced any such discrimination. We request that such unfounded allegations not be spread. Please wait for the completion of the ongoing police investigation, as well as an internal investigation by IIT which will be done in a time bound manner.”

It has stated that the institute takes utmost precautions to make the campus as inclusive as possible.

“IIT Bombay has zero tolerance for any discrimination by faculty. Caste identity is never disclosed to any one (whether students or faculty) once the admission is done. We sensitize students to not seek proxy information such as ranks in entrance exams,” reads IIT Bombay statement.The institute has stated that it gives strong warnings against discrimination right from the time students enter IIT. It states: “While no steps can be 100% effective, discrimination by students, if at all it occurs, is an exception.

”Following the death of students, the APPSC (Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle) IIT Bombay tremed his death as an institutional murder, it 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".

It also claimed that despite their 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,” it stated in another tweet.

IIT Bombay has an SC/ST student cell where students can reach in case of any issues including discrimination. There have been very few complaints to the cell, whether against faculty or other students, over the past many years, and only one case was found to have substance and strict action has been taken.

It states that IIT Bombay has taken multiple steps over the years to support and protect the mental health of our students. “We have an active mentor programme, which reaches out to all new students. Right from the orientation programme onwards, we encourage students to seek support from student counsellors at our student wellness centre, or from our hospital, whenever they need it,” mentions IIT statement.

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