IIT Bombay forms panel to conduct parallel investigation into student death
'The panel is headed by Professor Nand Kishore, including SC/ST Students Cell members, faculty and students, a few student mentor coordinators, and the in-charge chief medical officer of IIT Bombay hospital,' said Institute Director Subhasis Chaudhuri.
FollowThe Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has created a panel to conduct a parallel investigation into the death of a first-year B.Tech student amid allegations of caste bias and has urged students to come forward if they have relevant information.
Following the statement issued by institute Director Subhasis Chaudhuri on Saturday, the panel is headed by Professor Nand Kishore, including SC/ST Students Cell members, faculty and students, a few student mentor coordinators, and the in-charge chief medical officer of IIT Bombay hospital.
Darshan Solanki (18), a member of the Scheduled Caste community, allegedly died by suicide on February 12 by jumping from the seventh floor of a hostel building on the IIT Powai campus; however, his family suspected foul play and said he faced discrimination. Powai police are examining the case and have visited Solanki's home in Ahmedabad.
Stressing that Prof Nand Kishore was the chief vigilance officer of IIT Bombay until recently and is experienced in these matters, Chaudhari said that the committee is actively meeting everyone who may have relevant information,
If you have any information that you believe is relevant, please get in touch with the committee by meeting with any of the committee members or emailing Prof Nand Kishore or the Powai Police, appealed Chaudhari.
According to the report, IIT Bombay and the police are actively investigating the environment, incidents, and causes of Darshan's tragic death. According to Chaudhari, the police interviewed many people and took Solanki's phone and laptop for forensic analysis.
In its statement, Chaudhari said that IIT-B is working on changes to its UG curriculum, beginning with the class of 2022, to make it more relevant and motivating to students to help reduce some stress.
In response to media reports about the student's premature death, Chaudhari said that the case is still being investigated, and we cannot comment on the causes until the police report or our inquiry committee report is completed.
Chaudhari said that IIT Bombay has an SC/ST student cell that students can contact if they are experiencing discrimination. He said that we are actively working to create an inclusive campus where all students feel welcome.
Also, he said that they issue strong warnings against any form of discrimination during new students' formal orientation and educate all students not to seek proxy information such as entrance exam rankings. We have a very strict policy against faculty discrimination, Chaudhari continued.
Solanki's family claimed on Wednesday that he was discriminated against at IIT-B because he belonged to the SC community and was murdered. His parents had travelled to Mumbai to recover their son's body, the police official said. The official said they did not object to the investigation or express doubt about the cause of their son's death in their initial statements.
Gujarat Congress MLA and Dalit leader, Jignesh Mevani, has demanded that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) look into Solanki's death.
(With inputs from PTI)
Also Read: IIT Bombay refutes charges of caste discrimination in institute after student's death
