Arrested student’s family asks how crime branch found note three weeks after Darshan Solanki’s death and after local police had searched his room
Darshan Solanki was found dead on February 12
Police have framed my brother just to solve the case,” said the sister of Armaan Iqbal Khatri, the IIT-B student arrested on the abetment to suicide charge in connection with Darshan Solanki’s death on February 12. The Powai police, who initially probed his death, found nothing. “But three weeks later, the crime branch suddenly found the note. How?” asked Armaan’s family.
The Khatri family also cited the report of an internal probe panel of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, which had dismissed caste-based discrimination against Darshan, 18. The deceased family has been, since day 1, alleging that Darshan was being harassed by fellow students for belonging to the SC/ST caste.
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“Police have framed my brother," Armaan's sister told mid-day.
Darshan Solanki had told his family about being harassed by students on campus over his caste, but not about Armaan, his father said
The crime branch of Mumbai police claimed to have found the suicide note, which stated: "Armaan has killed me". Police took the help of handwriting experts who concluded that Darshan wrote it.
The deceased’s father has also expressed suspicion over the suicide note and doubt about the involvement of Armaan in his son’s death.
Also read: IIT Bombay student's death: Handwriting bureau confirms Darshan Solanki wrote one-line note
‘He is innocent’
Speaking with mid-day, the family of the 18-year-old accused dismissed the allegations as false and baseless.
“The entire family is in trauma right now. There is a witness, a student, who saw Darshan jump off the seventh floor of the college building. There was no foul play in his death, and yet the police arrested my brother. He has never harassed anyone. He would never do such a thing, because he is a studious student. There hasn't been even one complaint against my brother from the college,” she said.
“Both the Powai police and the institute investigated this case and didn't find anything. But suddenly a suicide note appears. How is this possible? My brother had never interacted with Darshan. My brother is innocent and we want him released from jail. Police should interrogate his roommates instead,” the family said.
Advocate Dinesh Gupta, who is representing Armaan, also claimed that police have framed him. Citing the investigation report of the police, Gupta said cops found the note on March 3, but did not show it to anyone.
‘Will seek bail’
Darshan's family was shown the suicide note on March 16.
“My client is a brilliant student. He never threatened anyone. Instead, in the police investigation report, it was written that Darshan passed comments on Armaan’s religion and the Muslim community. Armaan never passed any comment on him, but police have now added SC/ST Atrocities Act which is not applicable,” Gupta said.
On the witness statements that Armaan once threatened Darshan while brandishing a cutting tool, Gupta said, “If any student is afraid, he would tell his teachers or parents, but this wasn’t the case with Darshan. Nobody dies by suicide after someone brandishes a cutter once. There should be continued threats, which was not the case.”
“Also, witnesses have suddenly appeared. The police have fabricated evidence. We are applying for bail and once he is out, we will seek to quash the FIR,” he added. Gupta said they suspect Darshan took his life because he had failed some internal exams.
‘Not sure about Armaan’
Ramesh Solanki, Darshan's father, told mid-day, “My son was always tortured for his caste and he had told the family about this. However, he never told us anything about Armaan. We have refused to accept the suicide note, because of many words used it. My son couldn’t have written those words. We believe he was killed. We are not sure of Armaan’s involvement and demand a fair investigation.”
According to sources in the special investigation team in charge of the case, Armaan is not cooperating. “While he has acknowledged that there were some issues between them, he has not provided specifics,” one of them said.
12 Feb
Day Darshan Solanki was found dead
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