Mumbai: IIT Bombay youth’s suicide note blames fellow student, says Police

The SIT (special investigation team), under Joint Commissioner of Crime Lakhmi Gautam and DCP Krishnakant Upadhyay, is likely to book an 18-year-old fellow student for abetment to suicide, and under the Atrocities Act in connection with the suicide case of Darshan Solanki, an IIT Bombay student. Solanki's suicide note was found in his room at the hostel, wherein he has alleged, "Arman has killed me".

According to sources, the SIT found the suicide note during a search of Solanki's room. "The panchnama was done for close to eight hours after the suicide note was discovered," said Upadhyay. The note has been sent to the Handwriting and Photograph Bureau of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Maharashtra police. Solanki's parents have confirmed that the writing found on the note is their son's. The note said "Arman has killed me".

Student identified

The SIT has identified Arman Iqbal Khatri as the student who was harassing and threatening Solanki, and found some WhatsApp chats between the two. The officials suspect that something happened between the two on the day of the suicide, and Solanki wrote the suicide note before jumping from the seventh floor. Khatri had once threatened Solanki with a sharp weapon, according to the investigation.

The SIT has identified Arman Iqbal Khatri as the student who was harassing and threatening Darshan Solanki. File pic/Sameer Markande

The officials have said that Khatri did not make casteist slurs, but was mostly harassing Solanki on campus and threatening him over academic issues.

Notably, the IIT panel had earlier denied any caste-based discrimination in its findings, and had claimed that poor academic performance was the sole reason for Solanki's suicide. However, following allegations by Solanki's family and various groups at IIT-B, the state government formed a SIT to look into the matter. Solanki had committed suicide on February 12 at IIT-B's Powai premises.

Also Read: IIT Bombay student suicide: Probe transferred to Crime Branch as kin allege foul play

‘Want justice'

"It's an institutional murder and we have been saying this since the beginning. The police should also find whether something wrong happened to our son, because he wouldn't have taken such a drastic step. Since day one we have been suspicious about the institution and want police to investigate the murder angle as well. We hope that our son gets justice," said Natha Bhai Solanki, grandfather of the deceased.

Based on the investigation, the SIT has called the parents of Solanki to get an FIR registered under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) and other relevant Sections of IPC. At the time of going to press, his parents were in discussion with their lawyers.