The Dalit student at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay who died by suicide last month had named one of his classmates in his purported suicide note, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday, citing a senior police official.
Darshan Solanki had jumped off the seventh floor of his hostel building on February 12. The 18-year-old hailed from Ahmedabad and was a first-year student in the Bachelors in Technology (Chemical) course at IIT-Bombay.
His family had claimed that Solanki faced caste discrimination at the institute. However, an inquiry committee set up by IIT-Bombay had dismissed caste discrimination as the possible reason behind Solanki’s suicide and hinted at “deteriorating academic performance” as the reason.
Also read: 37% SC-ST students at IIT-Bombay were asked ranks in bid to know their caste, shows internal survey
On Tuesday, The Indian Express reported that police found a suicide note after a “detailed search” of Solanki’s room on March 3.
“On the table, there were some books and solved question papers… below the table, we found a page on which it was written, ‘...has killed me’,” the police official said, naming the classmate.
The police have filed a case of abetment to suicide against the classmate who Solanki purportedly named, reported NDTV. Unidentified officials told the news channel that a special investigation team is looking into what might have transpired between the two students.
The investigating team has taken Solanki’s answer sheets and some of his old notebooks to authenticate the handwriting in the purported suicide note, according to The Indian Express. Solanki’s parents have, however, confirmed to the police that the handwriting on the note is of their son.
The police said they also found WhatsApp chats between Solanki and the accused batchmate.
“We have sent his cellphone for forensic examination,” the police official told the newspaper. “We have learnt that there was a fight between the two about a week before the incident, and are checking if it is linked to the death.”
He added: “Initially, we believed that Solanki jumped to his death due to poor performance in the semester exams. However, the suicide note, which we suspect he wrote minutes before ending his life, indicates that he was harassed.”
(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist or give a call at these numbers.)
iCALL – 022-25521111 (Monday-Saturday: 8 am to 10 pm)
Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health – 9999666555 or help@vandrevalafoundation.com
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