The Mumbai Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) that arrested IIT-Bombay student Arman Khatri on Sunday in connection to the alleged suicide of his batchmate Darshan Solanki, has recorded the statement of another student to whom Solanki had allegedly confided that felt threatened by Khatri a day before his suicide on February 12. In his statement to the police, the student has said that when he met Solanki on February 11, the latter told him to "not be seen with him or else Khatri would harm him as well". Solanki, who belonged to Ahmedbad, is suspected to have jumped off the 8th floor of his hostel building. The SIT had on Sunday arrested Khatri (19) on the basis of a purported suicide note, saying “Arman you killed me”, found in Solanki’s room. Sources close to Khatri's family, meanwhile, said he had organised a visit to Mumbai's tourist destinations for a group of IIT students, including Solanki, and there was no way he would have been part of the group if there was a fight between the two. An officer said they have recorded the statement of the student who was also from a backward caste and shared a good rapport with Solanki. “The student said that on February 11, when he met Solanki in his hostel room, the latter told him to go away since if Khatri saw them together, he would harm him as well.” “When the student asked Solanki why Khatri would harm him, Solanki told him that he had made a communal remark, which had irked Khatri, who threatened him,” the officer added. On Monday, Khatri was interrogated by the SIT. Sources said that Khatri told the police that in the past, Solanki had asked him why he carried a paper cutter in his bag. “Khatri claimed that in banter, he told Solanki that he carried the paper cutter as he was going to harm two people in the class. But this was much before the dispute between Khatri and Solanki," the officer said. The officer added that Khatri was not opening up about the last few days when there was an alleged dispute between him and Solanki, after the latter made a communal remark.
