IIT Bombay student suicide: Abetment, Atrocities FIR registered against unidentified accused

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of police investigating the death of IIT Bombay student Darshan Solanki filed an offence against an unknown person on Thursday, March 30, for alleged abetment to suicide, an official said. The case was filed 47 days after Solanki reportedly died by suicide on February 12 by jumping off a building on the IIT Bombay campus in Powai.

The FIR was filed after SIT officials visited Powai Police Station with Darshan's father, Ramesh Solanki, on Thursday night, claim the police official. The report was filed with Powai Police on March 16, added the official.

The official explained, "We have registered an offence against an unidentified person under section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (abetting suicide) and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act."

On Wednesday, Ramesh Solanki accused SIT employees of harassing his family over registering an FIR in a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar.

In his letter, he wrote the family was 'completely shocked and disheartened' by the police and SIT members' 'refusal' to file an FIR.

Darshan Solanki, a first-year B Tech (Chemical) student from Ahmedabad, reportedly died by suicide on February 12 this year by jumping off the seventh floor of a hostel building on campus. His family claims he was discriminated against at IITB as he belonged to the Scheduled Caste community, and they fear foul play.

However, an inquiry committee formed by the academy ruled out caste-based discrimination and suggested that poor academic achievement could cause suicide.

Darshan's father, Ramesh Solanki, in his letter, said, "This is to inform you that I, along with my family, had travelled from Ahmedabad to visit the Powai police station for registration of FIR based on my complaint dated March 16 in the case of my son's death. Despite our requests, the Powai police station refused to register the FIR, saying that because the SIT had been formed to investigate the matter, they could not register the FIR and would forward the complaint to the SIT for appropriate action."

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