‘Dalit aaya, dalit aaya’: Overwhelming evidence of Darshan Solanki facing caste discrimination at IIT-Bombay, claims family

The family of Darshan Solanki IIT Bombay student who committed suicide on Thursday expressed anguish and concern about the continuous sidelining of the incidences of caste discrimination during the investigationsSolanki a firstyear BTech Chemical student at IIT Bombay was allegedly facing ldquosevere caste discriminationrdquo at the Institute and committed suicide on February 12 2023Addressing a press conference at the Mumbai Press Club the father of Solanki Ramesh Bhai Solanki also flanked by his daughter and Darshans sister Janvi Solanki and Former Member of Parliament Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar said that upon Solankirsquos death Powai police registered an Accidental Death Report ADR instead of an FIR inspite of ldquoevidence of caste discriminationrdquo and started investigationHowever after mounting pressure and demands of the constitution of a Special Investigation Team to investigate the matter the Maharashtra Government formed a threemember Special Investigation Team SIT consisting of Lakhmi Gautam Joint CP Crime Mumbai Upadhyaya DCP Bhosale ACP to investigate the caseJanvi said that in the second week of April she stumbled upon Darshanrsquos social media accounts while trying to log into social media She came across Darshanrsquos chat with an account of ldquoSam Rajputrdquo on Instagram On February 7 2023 just a few days before Darshanrsquos demise Sam Rajput asked Darshan for his IITJEE rank Darshan told him his JEE rank Further Darshan went on to say in the chat that since Sam now knows Darshanrsquos category he will probably lsquoalsorsquo not like Darshan anymore Darshan also added that Sam mustnrsquot think that reserved category students get undue advantage The family is concerned about Darshanrsquos apprehension about another person lsquoalsorsquo not liking himAlso readBJPs powerhungry attitude has killed democracy in the country Maha Congress reacts to SC verdict on ShindeBJP govtldquoIt is telling of the fact that in Darshanrsquos experience in IITBombay people stopped liking him after they learned that he was a reserved category student It is yet another evidence of caste discrimination he faced in a line of so many that have already been revealed showing that he was isolated taunted and ostracized due to his casterdquo Dr Mungekar saidHe said that this new evidence adds to many already submitted testimonies regarding the caste discrimination that Darshan faced in IITBombay These testimonies include the statements given by Uday Singh Meena a student at IITB and the family members including Darshanrsquos sister Janvi Solanki and his aunt Divyaben Solanki In their statements they all emphasized that Darshan was being harassed because of his caste He even wanted to change his room because of the harassment he faced from his roommate His peers mocked him for his questions about the knowhow of computer electronic gadgets and other subject matters he saidldquoOn knowing Darshanrsquos caste they ostracized him reduced their interaction with him and humiliated him for belonging to the SC category Darshan had confided to his sister Janvi that when his peers learned that he is from the SC community they would call him out and sayhellip lsquodalit aayadalit aayarsquo look the Dalit is here when he would try to join them during group studies or meal hours His classmate from the SC category has mentioned to the IITBombay internal committee that Darshan was sensitive about his caste and often thought about what others would think about a reserved category student studying in an institute like IIT Bombayrdquo the family said in a press release after addressing the press conferenceWhat is ldquohighly suspiciousrdquo is the way SIT is trying to ignore all the testimonies that point to the fact that ldquoDarshan was facing caste discriminationrdquo from his roommate classmates and other people in the institute and was deeply affected by it which is revealed from the testimonies and evidence it further saidldquoThe SIT which is investigating the crime of abetment to suicide and caste atrocity is not even looking at the angle of caste discrimination and has instead pinned the blame on one student in a separate matter Why is the SIT not investigating into these testimonies and trying to find out who are those students and persons who discriminated and harassed Darshan for his caste They are not trying to find out who made fun of his computer knowledge who taunted dalit aaya dalit aaya or because of whom he wanted to change his room Who are these students who harassed Dashan and discriminated against him based on his Dalit identity Why have their names not come up yet in the investigationldquoIt is highly appalling to see that SIT continues to sideline the castebased discrimination incidents Darshan has faced when there is overwhelming evidence pointing out to the caste discrimination faced by Darshan and the impact it had on him The latest media reports which suggest SITrsquos ruling out of caste discrimination faced by Darshan from his classmates and roommate in light of the handwritten note which names one student the handwriting has been disputed by me and my daughter ndash Janvi are concerning The family believes that Darshan was killed pushed to commit suicide because of the harassment he faced as a reserved category student which is evident from the overwhelming evidence in that regardrdquo Darshanrsquos father saidWhen the concerned police officers of Powai Police Station conducted a search in Darshanrsquos room he said they seized all electronic devices including his mobile phone laptop and pen drive along with other items belonging to him However the family has not been provided clone copies of the seized electronic devices even after demanding it repeatedly The family fears that more such instances that can show that he has faced castebased discrimination will be buried under the guise of investigationldquoIt is extremely concerning seeing the manner in which the investigation is being conducted sidelining the castebased discrimination faced by Darshan and also how the family is kept in the dark about the same The investigation ostensibly being conducted by the SIT and the Police authorities does not inspire confidence and is only trying to cover up the castebased discrimination that Darshan had faced in IITBombay The family has written complaint letters to the Chief Minister Home Minister Commissioner of Police and also to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes reporting this sidelining of caste discrimination in the ongoing investigation and demanding immediate intervention in this matter to ensure that crucial evidence is not lostignored and so that our family gets justicerdquo