This is an archive article published on March 27, 2023
Note naming batchmate found in IIT-Bombay suicide case, say police
On March 16, Solanki's parents met the police and confirmed his handwriting on the purported suicide note. “We have now sent the suicide note and the samples of Solanki's handwriting to experts and are awaiting their reports,” said an officer.
Darshan Solanki died by suicide on February 12, a day after his semester exams got over. (Express Photo)
THE MUMBAI Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of Darshan Solanki, the first year student at IIT-Bombay who allegedly died by suicide on February 12, has recovered a purported “suicide note” from his room that names a batchmate, said a senior police officer.
The officer said the note was found after a “detailed search” of Solanki’s room on March 3. “A team was there for more than 10 hours, and during the thorough search we found the note under the table,” he said. “On the table, there were some books and solved question papers… below the table, we found a page on which it was written, ‘… has killed me’,” he said, naming the batchmate.
The investigating team then approached the IIT administration and sought Solanki’s answer sheets. “As we found some similarities in the handwriting, we informed his parents and asked them to get his old notebooks from their house in Ahmedabad,” said an officer.
On March 16, Solanki’s parents met the police and confirmed his handwriting on the purported suicide note. “We have now sent the suicide note and the samples of Solanki’s handwriting to experts and are awaiting their reports,” said an officer.
Police said they also found WhatsApp chats between Solanki and the batchmate. “We have sent his cellphone for forensic examination… We have learnt that there was a fight between the two about a week before the incident, and are checking if it is linked to the death.”
“Initially, we believed that Solanki jumped to his death due to poor performance in the semester exams. However, the suicide note, which we suspect he wrote minutes before ending his life, indicates that he was harassed,” said an officer who is part of the investigating team.
Police said they have asked Solanki’s parents to file a complaint. “They said they will come tomorrow (Tuesday), after which we believe that a formal complaint will be lodged,” said an officer, adding that a case of abetment to suicide is likely to be lodged now.
Story continues below this ad
When contacted, Solanki’s sister Janvi said, “He never mentioned the name cited by the SIT, so I can’t say anything about that.”
The IIT-Bombay administration did not comment on the development. Joint CP Lakhmi Gautam, who is heading the SIT, also declined to comment.
Earlier, his family had alleged that Solanki was subjected to caste-based discrimination on campus.
But in an interim report submitted on March 2, a 12-member committee set up by IIT-Bombay had cited his “deteriorating academic performance” as a possible cause. Solanki allegedly jumped from the seventh floor of his hostel block on the IIT premises a day after his semester exams concluded. The panel had said there was no “specific evidence of direct caste-based discrimination”.
Story continues below this ad
Rejecting the report, Solanki’s father had written to the IIT-Bombay director last week, requesting that the case be investigated by a state or central agency.
Pallavi Smart is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai Bureau. Her reporting is singularly focused on the education sector, demonstrating exceptional Expertise and Authority across the entire spectrum of learning, from foundational schooling to advanced higher education. She is a highly Trustworthy source for policy, institutional developments, and systemic issues affecting students, teachers, and parents in Maharashtra.
Expertise
Senior Role: As a Principal Correspondent at The Indian Express, her designation reflects her seniority, specialized knowledge, and the editorial rigor applied to her reporting.
Core Authority & Specialization: Pallavi Smart is the definitive voice for Education news in the region. Her coverage scope is comprehensive:
Policy and Regulatory Changes: Reports on major shifts in educational policy, including the restructuring of entrance exams (e.g., MHT-CET adopting the JEE Main model), the draft regulatory framework for coaching classes, and revised teacher recruitment processes.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): Provides in-depth reporting on prestigious institutes like IIT Bombay and TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences), covering institutional initiatives, administrative debates (e.g., renaming IIT Bombay), and student welfare programs (e.g., mandatory mental health courses).
Teachers and Eligibility: Covers crucial issues affecting the teaching fraternity, such as the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for in-service teachers and related controversies and application numbers.
Student Welfare & Rights: Focuses on issues concerning students, including the rollout of government scholarships, the financial strain on schools due to midday meal reimbursement delays, and instances of child rights violations (e.g., the Powai studio hostage crisis).
Admissions and Vacancy: Tracks the outcome of centralized admission processes (e.g., MBBS, BPharm) and analyzes vacancy concerns, providing essential data-driven insights for parents and students.
Credentials & Trustworthiness
Dedicated Beat: Her consistent focus on the "KG to PG" education beat allows her to develop unparalleled subject matter knowledge, ensuring her reports are accurate, detailed, and contextualized.
Proactive Reporting: Her articles frequently break news on policy and institutional planning, providing the public with timely, essential information about a sector that directly impacts millions of families.
She tweets @Pallavi_Smart ... Read More
3 min read
