IIT Bombay student's death: Alumni, student bodies write to Fadnavis, demand FIR

The student groups claimed the SIT investigation is based on the Accidental Death Report (ADR) filed by the police, and "the refusal of the SIT to base their investigation on FIR is a failure to recognise the rights of the family.

Two student groups of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have written to Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis to direct the police to register an FIR in the death of Darshan Solanki, an 18-year-old engineering student of IIT Bombay who allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the seventh floor of a hostel building.  

The state government has already constituted a special investigation team (SIT) headed by a senior police officer to investigate the case. In an e-mail-cum-letter written to Fadnavis on March 21, the student groups claimed the SIT investigation is based on the Accidental Death Report (ADR) filed by the police, and "the refusal of the SIT to base their investigation on FIR is a failure to recognise the rights of the family", The Hindu reported. 

This letter is written by Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), Ambedkarite Students Collective (ASC) and an alumni group of IIT Bombay concerned. The APPSC also tweeted a photograph of Solanki with a caption that he would have turned 19 on Tuesday. 

Solanki, who belonged to Ahmedabad in Gujarat and was a first-year student of the BTech (chemical) course, allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the seventh floor of a hostel building located on the campus on February 12. His family had claimed he faced discrimination at the IIT Bombay for belonging to a Scheduled Caste community and suspected foul play in his death. 

However, the inquiry committee set up by the IIT Bombay has ruled out caste-based discrimination and hinted at deteriorating academic performance as a possible cause of suicide. "Darshan would have turned 19 today, if the institute had implemented all the policies mandated by law, reservation in faculty, mental health support, sentisation for savarnas, proper grievance redressal mechanism, etc. @iitbombay has failed you. #justicefordarshansolanki, (sic)" the APPSC tweeted. 

The students' groups claimed in their letter that Solanki's parents came to Mumbai for lodging an FIR (First Information Report) on March 16, but the local Powai police station, the SIT, and senior officials of Mumbai Police refused to file the FIR despite multiple requests from parents and accompanying lawyers. 

They claimed till now the SIT's investigation is based on the Accidental Death Report (ADR) filed by the police. "The refusal of the SIT to base their investigation on FIR is a failure to recognise the rights of the family to register a complaint in respect of cognizable offence as provided under the law. 

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