Days after student dies by suicide, IIT denies claims of caste discrimination

Emphasising utmost precautions taken by the institute to make the campus as inclusive as possible, it said it had zero tolerance for any discrimination by faculty.

By: Express News Service

Mumbai | February 15, 2023 01:21 AM IST

2 min read

The student collective has claimed that Darshan had confided about facing caste discrimination to his senior Udaysingh Meena, who has already graduated from the institute.

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A day after allegations of caste-based discrimination against Darshan Solanki, a first-year IIT Bombay student who died by suicide on Sunday; the institute has denied all such accusations. Calling it an unfounded allegation, the institute has stated that an internal investigation by IIT will be conducted in Solanki’s death, apart from the ongoing police investigation.

“IIT Bombay strongly refutes claims in some news articles about the tragic death of a 1st year B.Tech student, that imply that the cause was discrimination, and say it amounted to ‘institutional murder’. It is wrong to make such accusations when the police are still investigating the case. Based on initial inputs from friends, there is no indication that the student faced any such discrimination,” reads the statement issued by the institute on Tuesday, as it underlined the ongoing investigation by police as well as the institute’s internal committee.

Emphasising utmost precautions taken by the institute to make the campus as inclusive as possible, it said it had zero tolerance for any discrimination by faculty. It listed various measures taken by the institute such as no disclosure of caste identity or JEE rank, along with strict warnings against discrimination, and the existence of SC/ST Cell which the students can reach out to in case of any issues including discrimination. It stated, “There are very few complaints to the SC/ST Cell, whether against faculty or other students. Only one case was found to have substance and strict action has been taken.”

Meanwhile, the Ambedkar Phule Periyar Study Circle, an informal students’ collective at the IIT Bombay which had raised allegations of discrimination, has written a letter to the institute administration on Tuesday demanding that the SC/ST community should represent 50 per cent of the institute’s internal committee to ensure fair investigation in case of Darshan’s death. The student collective has claimed that Darshan had confided about facing caste discrimination to his senior Udaysingh Meena, who has already graduated from the institute.

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