Students demand filing of FIR, resignation of director, probe into case under Ragging Act

Apart from their demands of making the information about the internal committee public and including SC/ST representation in the committee along with an external member to ensure impartiality, the students are also demanding strengthening of the Student Wellness Centre by including more SC/ST counsellors. While the institute already has an SC/ST Cell, the students demand that the SC/ST Mentorship programme be made mandatory on par with the regular Institute Student Mentorship Programme so that all SC/ST freshers get proper mentorship support from their respective seniors.

Along with the demand to include mental health facilities in the medical insurance policy document drafted by the institute in August 2022, students have also sought academic programme reforms ‘to reduce burden and provide extra relaxation to students suffering from mental health issues’, states the letter submitted to the director on Friday.

Days after the first-year undergraduate IIT Bombay student, Darshan Solanki, died by jumping off the seventh floor of his hostel building, some informal students’ collectives active on the campus have come together with a movement titled #JusticeForDarshanSolanki. The students’ collectives are Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), Ambedkar Study Circle (ASC), and Dastak, which on Sunday also organised a candle light march remembering Darshan.

Darshan’s father Rameshbhai Solanki has appealed to the people to hold a candle march across different states on Sunday (February 19), demanding justice for Darshan.

In a video tweeted by MLA Jignesh Mewani from Gujarat — which is Darshan’s home state — Rameshbhai said, “We are holding candle marches in different parts of the country, demanding judicial investigation in Darshan’s death. We want to know if it was a suicide due to caste-based discrimination or murder. This is not a political, but a social rally, and I appeal to all to join in demanding justice for Darshan.”

A member of the APPSC, meanwhile, alleged, “As the students started gathering at the main building, the security denied them entry to the institute. We were initially asked to stop and were threatened with consequences. But eventually, we were able to submit the letter on our demands.” The letter also lists various measures that could be taken to tackle caste-based harassment on the campus.

“Every hostel and academic space must have a bulletin list of inappropriate casteist practices, like casual casteist remarks, and anti-reservation comments among others. Every violator must be punished… All the departments should ensure a safe space for students from the marginalised community. All the faculty should be sensitised on caste, gender, and mental health through courses like Faculty 101,” reads the letter.

Demanding the director’s resignation, the letter says, “We reiterate that IIT Bombay has failed to act on most of the demands that we, as a student group, have been asking over the years in the regard, especially our demand for SC/ST counsellors and the approval of SC/ST Students Cell Mandate.”