ABVP, NSUI demand probe, justice for Darshan Solanki

ABVP members staged a protest near the statue of Gujarati poet Narmad outside Gujarat University in Ahmedabad. “Rashtriya sansthan bhavishya banane ke liye hain, kabra ban ne ke liye nahi, (national institutes are to make future and not to turn into graves),” went the ABVP slogan during the protests. “In the case of Darshan, who belonged to a Scheduled Caste, it came out and was highlighted. But students from other castes, too, are dying by suicides,” said ABVP city secretary Umang Mojitra as he stressing on the increasing spate of suicides among students.

ABVP demanded that the government should take serious actions against the rising suicide rates among students after the pandemic. “The government should investigate what is happening post-Covid pandemic that is driving students to suicides. It should ensure that students get a safe environment at the national institutes,” he stated.

“Recently, a student of NHL Medical College died by suicide from Atal Footover Bridge in the city. In addition, IIT Madras student Stefan Sunny and Nidhin Sharma, a student of NIT Calicut, also died by suicide on February 13 and February 15 this year respectively,” the ABVP stated.

Echoing similar concerns at other national institutes, NSUI’s Solanki said, “There are many institutes where caste discrimination is rampant. Today, it is in IIT. Tomorrow, it will be at other places.”