IIT-B Student Death: Interim Report Says 'No Specific Evidence' Of Caste Bias, Points To Declining Academic Record

A 12-member committee submitted its eight-page interim report on March 2, and a copy of the same has also been shared with the Government.

Darshan Solanki, a student at IIT Bombay, died by suicide last month.

Source : AFP

An inquiry committee set up by the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay on Dalit student Darshan Solanki’s suicide has ruled out caste discrimination as the reason for his death. The committee in its report hinted at deteriorating academic performance as a possible cause for Solanki’s suicide.

“It appears from the marks obtained in various courses that the performance of Darshan Solanki deteriorated specifically in the second half of the autumn semester. The despair of deteriorating academic performance appears to be a very strong reason which might have affected him seriously,” says the interim report.

"Other than the statement of Darshan Solanki's sister, there is no specific evidence of direct caste-based discrimination faced by Solanki during his stay at IIT Bombay,” the interim report states.

Originally from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, 18-year-old Solanki, a first-year student of B.Tech (Chemical) course, died on February 12 after allegedly jumping off the seventh floor of his hostel on the campus in Powai. 

His family had claimed he was facing discrimination since he belonged to a Scheduled Caste.

A day after the incident, a 12-member committee was formed by IIT Bombay to investigate the circumstances that led to the death. An interim report of eight pages was submitted by the committee on March 2 and was also shared with the Central Government.

Late last month, the police had said the Maharashtra government had formed a special investigation team to conduct a probe into Solanki's death.

The incident hit national headlines, with students group in several cities of the country holding protests denouncing caste-based discrimination in educational institutions. 

Earlier, Ramesh Solanki, the father of Darshan said that his son cannot commit suicide.

"He must have been harassed and I think he has been killed. He has fallen from the 7th floor but he is only hurt on the head," Ramesh Solanki told news agency ANI.

Ramesh Solanki claimed that Darshan had reported instances of caste discrimination, but his concerns were not taken seriously.

(With Inputs from PTI)