SIT refuses to accept Darshan Solanki’s father’s demand to register murder FIR
According to Rameshbhai, the SIT on Friday recorded the statements of his wife Tarlika and daughter Janvi.
3 min read
Darshan Solanki died by suicide on February 12, a day after his semester exams got over. (Express Photo) The father of Darshan Solanki, the first-year student of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, who died by suicide in February, on Friday met Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Lakhmi Gautam, who is part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state government to probe the death, demanding that a case of murder be lodged.
After meeting Gautam, Rameshbhai Solanki said that the SIT did not accept his demand. On Thursday, he had approached the Powai police station seeking that a case of murder be lodged. The police had directed Rameshbhai to approach the SIT. “We will now take opinions of other family members upon returning home to decide the future course of action,” he said.
Rameshbhai along with some family members met Gautam in the presence of former Rajya Sabha MP Bhalchandra Mungekar in Mumbai. According to Rameshbhai, the SIT on Friday recorded the statements of his wife Tarlika and daughter Janvi.
“They also recorded the statements of Darshan’s aunt and uncle which were initially not taken,” said Rameshbhai, who in his complaint letter to the Powai police station on Thursday mentioned that the police team which visited Ahmedabad did not take the statements of Darshan’s aunt and uncle.
“Nothing could have prevented the police from registering the FIR, irrespective of the fact that a higher committee is investigating the case,” said Mungekar.
An officer from the crime branch said that the family members of Solanki met Gautam for over an hour. “The family wanted some documents from the police which were provided to them,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi held a protest at the main gate of IIT Bombay campus in Powai on Friday. Following the protest, a memorandum of demands was submitted to the IIT Bombay administration seeking welfare of students from the SC/ST community with mental health support and reforms to reduce academic pressure on the students among others.
Darshan died by suicide on February 12, a day after his semester exam got over. He allegedly jumped from the seventh floor of hostel 16 on campus, where he stayed. His family has alleged caste-based discrimination against him on campus. The institute’s internal committee has submitted a report stating academic pressure as a possible cause.
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