IIT Bombay refutes charges of caste discrimination in institute after student's death
Student suicide: IIT Bombay strongly refutes claims in some media reports about the tragic death of a first-year BTech student that suggest discrimination was the cause and that it amounted to institutional murder.
FollowThe IIT-Bombay rejected charges of caste bias in the institute after a first-year student allegedly died by suicide on Tuesday, February 14, saying the initial inputs from friends reveal that there was no discrimination and urging students to wait until police and internal investigations are completed.
On Sunday, Darshan Solanki died after allegedly jumping from the seventh floor of a hostel building on the institute's Powai campus. The 18-year-old student was from Ahmedabad and was a first-year B.Tech (Chemical) student.
IIT Bombay strongly refutes claims in some media reports about the tragic death of a first-year BTech student that suggest discrimination was the cause and that it amounted to institutional murder.
The institute issued a statement saying that making such accusations while the police are still probing the case is incorrect. The statement added there is no indication that the student faced discrimination based on input from his friends.
The rebuttal from IIT Bombay comes just one day after the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle, a student group, called Solanki's death an institutional murder. The institute said that it takes every precaution to make the campus as inclusive as possible, and it has zero tolerance for faculty discrimination.
Once admitted, caste identity is never revealed to anyone (students or faculty), and the institute warns students not to seek proxy information such as entrance exam rankings.
It also warns students against discrimination from the moment they enter IIT. While no action can be 100 per cent effective, discrimination by students, if it occurs at all, is an exception, said the institute.
The institute further requested that students wait for the conclusion of the ongoing police investigation and an internal probe by IIT.
Students at IIT-Bombay can contact an SC/ST student cell if they have any concerns, including discrimination. Over the years, there have been very few complaints to the cell, whether against faculty or other students, and only one case was found to have substance, prompting strict action, the institute's statement added.
It said that in the orientation programme, students are encouraged to seek aid from student counsellors at the student wellness centre or hospital whenever required. The police official said that the case is being investigated from all angles. We will also speak with students, but for the time being, an accidental death report has been filed.
A group of students tweeted that he (Solanki) was motivated to take the extreme step due to discrimination on campus against scheduled caste students.
(With inputs from PTI)
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