The family of Darshan Solanki, an 18-year-old student of IIT-Mumbai who allegedly died by suicide, alleged that Darshan was being harassed for his caste and that his death was a well-planned murder. Solanki died after jumping off the seventh floor of the IIT hostel. But his family does not believe it to be a case of suicide.
“Initially, everything was fine. But once they came to know Darshan belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, problems and harassment began. He could never even imagine dying by suicide. In fact, when we last spoke he was planning to come to Ahmedabad and visit a few places,” his sister Jhanvi claimed.
“It is not suicide at all. There were no injuries except a single injury to his head. Several details were disclosed to us. There were different theories given to us by college officials,” his father, Ramesh, said.
“I was the last to speak to him. He was normal and said he would be coming to Ahmedabad soon. It is a well-planned murder and everything is being covered,” Ramesh added.
“Darshan was our only son. It is a clear case of murder. We need fair and speedy justice. The people responsible should be punished,” his mother said.
The 18-year-old had filed a complaint with the college as well, his family said.
Darshan secured admission to the premier institution three months back and enrolled on the BTech course after preparing for a year.
He scored 83 per cent in Class 10, his family said, adding that Darshan would scold people who would think of dying by suicide. The family further said that Darshan was extremely ambitious and the only hope for the family of four.
