A day after an 18-year-old Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay student, Darshan Solanki allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the 7th floor of hostel building, a student group has alleged that students from "non-urban, non-English speaking backgrounds, oppressed castes (SC/ST) and low-income families" face immense harassment and discrimination on the campus. IIT-Bombay is situated in Mumbai's Powai area.
The deceased was a first year student of the B.Tech (Chemical) course and hailed from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The 18-year-old was lying in a pool of blood when the security guards noticed him.
“Based on the primary information, we have registered a case of accidental death. Further investigation is underway," said senior police inspector Budhan Sawant. The student has not left any suicide note behind.
While an investigation has been initiated, a student group Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC-IITB) has alleged discrimination against students who don't speak english, have poor background, or belong to oppressed castes.
"These institutional and casual ways of casteism cause mental and psychological stress on students, but IITs lack any mechanism to help them. We have been raising the issue of the lack of mental health support for our students with the IIT administration as well as other forums like National Commission for SC/STs," said the group.
The student group has also raised questions on the counselors at IIT-Bombay saying that they are not sensitised enough to understand realities faced by students who belong to SC/ST/OBC categories.
Speaking on the matter, the institute said, "We have lost one of our first year B.Tech students Darshan Solanki yesterday. It is a great loss to the family and to the IITB Community. We pray that his family gets the strength to bear this loss. The institute is with his family at this difficult time. We deeply mourn the tragic loss of Darshan’s life."
"It is unfortunate that such a loss could not be prevented despite the efforts of the Institute and Student Mentors to support our students. A committee has been constituted to investigate the incident," the statement said.
"Today the institute held a condolence meeting and observed two minutes of silence in memory of the departed soul. While we cannot change what has already happened, we will further increase our efforts to prevent such events in future," the Institute said.
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