Darshan Solanki suicide: Family meets VBA chief, seeks help in filing FIR

Mumbai: The family of Darshan Solanki, a chemical engineering student from IIT-Bombay, who died by suicide on February 12, met Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Ambedkar, seeking help in filing an FIR in the case

Mumbai: The family of Darshan Solanki, a chemical engineering student from IIT-Bombay, who died by suicide on February 12, met Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Ambedkar, seeking help in filing an FIR in the case. A party leader claimed that the parents want to file an FIR alleging caste discrimination.

HT Image

On Monday, a “suicide note” came to light, which the special investigation team (SIT) of the Mumbai crime branch had recovered from Solanki’s hostel room on March 3.

Siddharth Mokle, state vice-president and spokesperson of VBA, said “Solanki’s family expressed their disagreement with the new facts that came to light on Monday about the suicide note in a discussion with Prakash Ambedkar.”

“In a meeting with Ambedkar, Darshan’s parents told us that during the ongoing investigation by the SIT and the internal inquiry committee for more than one-and-half-month, not a single person talked about the suicide note. They do not agree to file an FIR based on the SIT information, but as per their complaint letter,” Mokle said.

“During the meeting, Ambedkar had a word with the joint commissioner of police. The VBA president requested him to help the family in filing an FIR as per their request,” he added.

Solanki’s family will visit the SIT office to file an FIR on Wednesday, Mokle said.

Meanwhile, professor Subashish Chaudhari, director, IIT-Bombay, claimed that the institute got to know about the “suicide letter” via the media. “The institute will support the SIT as and when required,” he said.

Professor Bhalchandra Mungekar, former Rajya Sabha MP and former vice-chancellor of the University of Mumbai, who demanded that SIT should investigate Darshan’s death, said, “On Monday, I accompanied Solanki’s family at SIT office in Marol. The SIT officer is insisting that the family members file an FIR as per the facts that came out in the investigation. I also tried to convince the family members and SIT officers as a mediator. But the family wants to file an FIR as per their demand to investigate this matter as caste discrimination.” Mungekar also requested the SIT that they must respect the family’s decision and help them to file an FIR as per their request.