A WEEK after the alleged suicide of 18-year-old student Darshan Solanki, various student organisations and others on Monday staged protests at the main gate of the Powai campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, seeking that the police register an FIR into the death. Solanki, hailing from Ahmedabad, allegedly died by suicide on February 12. His family has claimed he faced discrimination as he was a Dalit and also raised suspicions of foul play in his death. Terming the death as an institutional failure, organisations such as Students' Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), All India Democratic women's Association (AIDWA), Jati Anth Sangharsha Samiti (JASS) and Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) took part in the protest demanding policy changes. Dalit activist Subodh More, who was part of the protest, said, “We are demanding that an FIR be registered into Darshan's death. Also, as the IIT has set up an internal committee to investigate the death, the committee must have an external member to ensure impartial probe." A member from the SFI added, “The reason for the protest was to note that it has been a week since Darshan's death and still the investigation has not seen any concrete development.” In a statement, the SFI Mumbai said, "Such a protest is happening in the backdrop of multiple cases of suicide on institutional campuses across the nation, and it is in demanding change at a national level that these voices were raised today. It is imperative that the voices of the students and the civil society organisations are heard and that their concerns regarding the state of policies preventing discrimination and the lack of institutional support at IIT Bombay are addressed with urgency." The RPI (Athavale), along with Maharashtra Students' Union and Bheem Army, also held demonstrations. Siddharth Ingale from the students' union said, "Though separate protests are being held, the demands are the same – justice for Darshan. At our meeting with the IIT administration, we insisted that FIR be lodged under the atrocities Act."
