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Get Breaking news alerts in real-time.1 Year to Dalit Student Darshan Solanki's Death at IIT Bombay: What Has Changed?
The 18-year-old student had allegedly died by suicide merely a few months after joining the elite campus.
Eighteen-year-old Darshan – a first year student of Chemical Engineering at IIT-B – had allegedly died by suicide on 12 February 2023 just a little over three months after joining the elite campus.
A student group at IIT Bombay, called the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), had labelled Darshan’s death “institutional murder” and alleged that despite complaints, "the institute did not care to make the space inclusive and safe for Dalit, Bahujan and Adivasi students.”
IIT-Bombay had refuted these allegations at the onset.
Eighteen days after Darshan’s death, an interim report was submitted by an internal committee, which claimed that “the despair of deteriorating academic performance appears to be a very strong reason which might have affected Darshan Solanki very seriously.”
Darshan’s father, Ramesh Solanki, who works as a plumber in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, had rejected the report, saying the committee did not consider all evidence and material on record. Darshan’s sister, aunt, and uncle had alleged to The Quint that his friends used to taunt him for his Dalit identity and that Darshan faced caste-discrimination on campus.
Although an FIR was filed by the Mumbai Police against unknown persons under various sections of the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 as well as Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code a month after his death, Ramesh told The Quint that he is still “awaiting justice” – and that the “case is going in the reverse direction.”
What has changed on the ground in the last 12 months? The Quint finds out:
‘Where is Final Report of IIT-B's Internal Committee Probing Darshan’s Death?’
“Darshan’s uncles, aunts, friends, and family have come home. We are all sitting and reminiscing about my son’s childhood,” Ramesh told The Quint on Monday, 12 February, a lump in his throat.
“He was a cheerful child. He loved studying. Once, he stood second in class five and was quite disheartened. I motivated him then to keep at his studies,” he recalled.
Ramesh had earlier told The Quint that Darshan had cleared JEE (Joint Entrance Exam) twice – both times without any external coaching – and that he “was euphoric when he made it to IIT Bombay” in 2022.
“How can someone who cleared the JEE not once, but twice, be a weak student and score poor marks? I simply can’t believe it was suicide,” Ramesh had lamented, referring to the outcome of the interim report.
The interim report, which also ruled out “any specific evidence of caste bias”, was submitted by a 12-member committee, which was appointed by the Director of IIT Bombay and comprised Professor Nand Kishore from the Department of Chemistry, wardens of Hostel 16, and members of the SC/ST Cell at IIT Bombay.
“It has been a year to Darshan’s death. When will the committee send the final report or disclose its findings,” asked an IIT-B student.
Last year, the APPSC, too, had raised questions about the committee, demanding more SC/ST representation in it as well as external members for unbiased investigation.
The student, requesting anonymity, told The Quint that the administration had promised an ‘Open House’ discussion post-Darshan's death and claimed that it hasn’t taken place till date. He remarked, "The institute does not feel the need to discuss the issue with its students!"
The Quint has reached out to IIT Bombay’s Public Relations Office (PRO) and will update the story once they respond.
‘Cosmetic Adjustments Made Post-Darshan's Death, No Palpable Impact on Ground’
Ramesh said that the pall of gloom that had engulfed the Solanki household after Darshan’s death has started to lift. Darshan’s mother Tarlikaben, who at one point couldn’t stop looking at her deceased son’s video on her phone and mourning, is now slightly better. Darshan’s elder sister Jahnvi has also taken to her studies in college.
It was Jahnvi, who had earlier alleged to The Quint, that Darshan had confided in her about facing caste discrimination from his peers on campus. She had said:
“When he found himself stuck using a laptop, his friends used to mock him saying ‘you don’t even know this much’. Whenever he used to go for group study sessions or even dinner, his batchmates used to say, ‘Dekho Dalit aa gaya (look, Dalit is here).’
Nearly six months after Darshan’s death, IIT Bombay had allegedly issued a set of "anti-discrimination guidelines" which stated that it is inappropriate to ask other students about their JEE ranks and GATE scores – and that violations can lead to "severe punishment."
A student of IIT-B and member of APPSC, requesting anonymity, told The Quint that some “cosmetic adjustments” have been brought about, but changes are not palpable on ground in the “absence of a clear mandate which defines the roles and responsibilities of the SC/ST Cell.”
The students demanded the administration to disclose the grievance redressal mechanism of the SC/ST Cell as well as lay out steps taken to ensure inclusivity on campus. “While these guidelines have started the conversation, the dominant narrative is anti-reservation,” the student said.
On 4 July 2022, The Indian Express had reported that the SC/ST Cell of IIT Bombay plans to introduce a mandatory course on caste awareness. The move was reported after surveys conducted by the Cell indicated holding sensitisation events and having a mandatory academic course on caste and racial discrimination.
The students that The Quint spoke to claimed that there has been no action from the administration in this direction. One of them said, “The SC/ST Cell has again gone into oblivion.” The Quint has reached out to IIT Bombay’s PRO about the same, too. They are yet to respond.
'Only Faculty Diversity Can Address This Issue'
On being asked about any recent updates in the case registered under the SC/ST Act on 31 March last year, Ramesh told The Quint, “Case peeche jaa raha hai (the case is going in the reverse direction).”
A month-and-a-half after Darshan’s death, Mumbai Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) had recovered a 'suicide note' from Darshan’s hostel room at IIT Bombay. Over a week later, on 9 April 2023, the police arrested Darshan’s batchmate Arman Khatri in connection with abatement of his suicide.
While Khatri was let out on bail on 6 May last year, a 443-page chargesheet was filed by the Mumbai Police on 30 May, which stated that Darshan had a tiff with Khatri in his last few days, and that he was afraid of his friends finding out about his caste over the past few months.
Khatri, on 1 August 2023, had filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court appealing to quash the chargesheet, Ramesh’s lawyer Avinash Ovhal told The Quint. It was registered by the court on 3 January this year and is scheduled for a hearing on 2 March.
Meanwhile, the APPSC member said that proper representation of Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasis in faculty recruitment is a way forward in addressing caste discrimination as well as for caste sensitisation.
An RTI filed by APPSC paints a grim picture as far as faculty recruitment in 2022 is concerned. According to the figures posted by the student body on social media, a meagre 9 SC candidates were recruited through Mission Mode Recruitment of the total 133 vacancies in 2022.
“We have yet not received the RTI reply on corresponding figures in 2023 for IIT Bombay, but IIT Kanpur, which reported three student suicides last year, point at an equally grave situation. Faculty members are decision-making bodies and there has to be a proportionate representation of SCs, STs and OBCs in the same for the students' problems to be addressed,” the APPSC member said.
A parliamentary committee, last week, submitted a report saying SC and ST candidates are deliberately declared "not suitable" for appointment as faculty members in educational institutions because of "biased" assessment by selection panel. It also recommended mandatory inclusion of SC and ST candidates on the selection panel during recruitment to avert the said bias.
“If there are not enough SC/ST candidates in the faculty, then how will that representation show in the selection panel during recruitment drives,” the APPSC member remarked, as he pressed for an urgent need to recruit more faculty from the oppressed communities.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)
Dalit oppression in Punjab: Jat Sikhs make up 18% of the population but control 93% of land holdings
“Dalit oppression in Punjab: The caste cauldron”, India Today, November 8, 2021:
“On October 15, a horrific scene played out on national television, of a bleeding Lakhbir Singh, a 35-year-old Dalit Sikh farm labourer from Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, who had been tortured and killed at the Singhu border, the epicentre of the ongoing protests against the new farm laws brought by the Centre.
The farmer unions quickly distanced themselves from the incident, and the next day the Haryana police arrested four Nihangs, members of a militant Sikh order known for their blue robes, swords and violent antecedents. The Nihangs—Sarabjit, Narain Singh, Bhagwant Singh and Govind Preet—claimed they had “punished” Lakhbir for “desecrating a Sikh holy book”.
As disturbing as the incident was, even more so was the deafening silence of the political establishment in Punjab. The silence was made even more stark by the fact that the new chief minister is a Dalit Sikh. Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab’s first Dalit Sikh chief minister, maintained a studied silence on the issue. Sukhbir Badal, chief of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), who the mainly rural Dalit Mazhabi Sikhs consider their benefactor, also kept mum. Tied as the incident was to the sacrilege issue, no politician in Punjab wanted to face the wrath of the Sikh clergy and upper caste Sikhs…..”
Land owner in TN's Avinashi booked for abusing Dalit woman
TIRUPPUR: Police registered case against a landowner at in Sevur in Avinashi belonging to a dominant caste who allegedly issued a casteist slur and death threat to a Dalit woman who sought money and medical help for her husband who was injured while working in his farmland.
Speaking to TNIE, Parathal (55) said, “My husband Velan (60) and I reside at Rengasamy Nagar in Sevur. On February 2, Selva Naicker (40) told my husband to move a maize remover using a tractor and unload it on his farmland. While my husband was unloading the maize corn remover, the farmland parapet wall collapsed and fell on him. He was rushed to Tiruppur Government Hospital and doctors told him that he had multiple fractures in both of his legs and hip. Naicker who arrived a the hospital, promised to take care of the medical expenses. Hence, we transferred him to a private hospital. However, when he sought Naicker’s help later, he refused to answer our call. When I visited him, he issued a death threat and casteist slur.”
Speaking to TNIE, Naicker said, “I paid around Rs 20,000 to the family and I did not issue and casteist slur. They are making an issue for more money.”
DSP (Avinashi Range) Shiva Kumar said, “We have registered an FIR under section 337 of the IPC in Sevur police station and have booked the landlord and investigations are on.”
Published: 13th February 2024
Bhuvanagiri Dalit students' suicide: Inquiry officer transferred, no accommodation for 110 students yet
Update on the student suicides at Bhuvanagiri | (Pic: EdexLive)
In light of general transfers, Bhuvanagiri Special Deputy Collector Nagalakshmi, who was appointed as the inquiry officer in the suicide case of two Class X students at Bhuvanagiri SC girls hostel, has been transferred to another district. However, a new officer for the inquiry has not yet been appointed by the district collector, stated a report in The New Indian Express.
Officials said that prior to her transfer, Nagalakshmi conducted a three-day inquiry and gathered details.
During the investigation, all hostel staff were questioned regarding the behaviour of the victims — Bhavya and Vaishnavi — before the incident, as well as the conduct of auto driver Anjaneyu with the students. It was alleged that an auto-rickshaw driver used to sneak into the hostel in the dead of the night.
Warden Shailaja, who was suspended in connection with the incident, was summoned to the Collectorate for questioning. The warden claimed that she had counselled Bhavya and Vaishnavi over their alleged misbehaviour towards junior students, stated The New Indian Express report.
Meanwhile, if the district collector appoints another officer, there is a possibility that the investigation will proceed smoothly.
As of now, the district administration has not made arrangements for the 110 students who vacated the hostel. With examinations scheduled for next month, authorities have decided to accommodate 14 Class X students at a social welfare residential school in Bhuvanagiri. Bhuvanagiri ACP Venkat Reddy mentioned that the suicide note of the girls had been sent to the FSL, but no reports have been received yet.
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- செவ்வாய், பிப்ரவரி 13 2024 07:02:54 PM
சமாஜ்வாதி கட்சி தலைவர் அகிலேஷ் யாதவுக்கு எழுதிய கடிதத்தில், கட்சி பாகுபாடு காட்டப்படுவதாக மௌரியா குற்றம்சாட்டியுள்ளார்.
தேசிய பொதுச்செயலாளர் பதவியில் கூட பாரபட்சம் இருந்தால், இதுபோன்ற பாரபட்சமான மற்றும் முக்கியமற்ற பதவியில் நீடிப்பதற்கு எந்த நியாயமும் இல்லை என்று மவுரியா எழுதினார்.
கட்சி தொடர்ந்து இந்த முழக்கங்களை நடுநிலைப்படுத்தி, 2022 சட்டமன்றத் தேர்தலில் நூற்றுக்கணக்கான வேட்பாளர்களின் வேட்புமனுக்கள் மற்றும் சின்னங்களை தாக்கல் செய்ததாக அவர் குற்றம் சாட்டினார்.
“45 எம்எல்ஏக்கள் மட்டுமே இருந்தனர், அதேசமயம் 2022 சட்டமன்றத் தேர்தலுக்குப் பிறகு, இந்த எண்ணிக்கை 110 ஆக உயர்ந்தது. அதன்பிறகு, எந்த கோரிக்கையும் இல்லாமல், என்னை சட்டப் பேரவைக்கு அனுப்பி, உடனடியாக என்னை தேசிய பொதுச் செயலாளராக ஆக்கியுள்ளீர்கள். இந்த கவுரவத்திற்கு மிக்க நன்றி,'' என்றார்.
ஜாதி அடிப்படையிலான மக்கள் தொகை கணக்கெடுப்பு நடத்தப்பட வேண்டும் என்றும், பட்டியல் சாதிகள், பழங்குடியினர் மற்றும் பிற்படுத்தப்பட்ட வகுப்பினரின் இடஒதுக்கீடு காப்பாற்றப்பட வேண்டும் என்றும் கடந்த ஆண்டு பரிந்துரைத்ததாக மௌரியா மேலும் கூறினார்.
“தேசியச் சொத்துக்களை தனியாருக்கு விற்பதற்கு எதிர்ப்புத் தெரிவிக்கும் வகையில், மாநிலம் தழுவிய நிகழ்ச்சிக்காக ரத யாத்திரை நடத்த முன்மொழியப்பட்டது, அதற்கு நீங்கள் ஒப்புக்கொண்டீர்கள். சாதகமான முடிவும் இல்லை. தலைமையின் நோக்கத்தின்படி, அதை மீண்டும் கூறுவது பொருத்தமானதாக நான் கருதவில்லை, ”என்று அவர் எழுதினார்.
மௌரியா, சனாதன தர்மம் குறித்த அவரது அறிக்கைகள் தொடர்பாக SP தலைவர்களின் ஒரு பிரிவினரால் குறிவைக்கப்பட்டதில் தனது அதிருப்தியையும் வெளிப்படுத்தினார், இது அவரை சமூகத்தின் ஒரு பிரிவினரின் இலக்காகவும் ஆக்கியது.
எனினும், பதவி ஏதும் இல்லாமல் கட்சியை வலுப்படுத்த தொடர்ந்து பாடுபடுவேன் என்றும் அகிலேஷ் யாதவுக்கு ராஜினாமா கடிதத்தில் மவுரியா தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.
Does the budget talk about Dalits and tribals?
The total estimated expenditure in the Union Budget 2024-25 is Rs 51,08,780 crore, while the total allocation for the welfare of Scheduled Castes is Rs 1,65,598 crore and for Scheduled Tribes is Rs 1,21,023 crore.
Recently, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the interim budget in Parliament. However, budget has always been an important topic. But in view of India’s falling position in the polls and various reports on marginalized communities, it becomes all the more important to examine the Budget from an inclusive perspective. Amidst the big claims, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure adequate allocation for the schemes of tribals and Dalits. However, cases of under-utilization of allocated funds have also been repeated over the years. Lok Sabha Prime Minister Modi has said that the budget will be inclusive and innovative as well as the budget for building the future of the country. It will empower the four pillars of developed India: youth, poor, women and farmers.
But this year the central government has significantly reduced allocations in 26 of the 37 core welfare schemes that cover core programs like health, education, rural development and addressing marginalized communities. President Draupadi Murmu said in Parliament that due to the efforts of the government, the dropout rate in the country has reduced. Enrollment of girls in higher education has increased. Enrollment of Scheduled Caste students has increased by nearly 44 percent, that of Scheduled Tribe students by more than 65 percent and that of OBC by more than 44 percent. One reason for the low dropout rate has been scholarships. But there has been a huge cut in the education of Scheduled Castes and Tribes in the budget.
No change in financial allocation for Scheduled Castes and Tribes
The total expenditure in the budget is estimated at Rs 47.66 lakh crore. No major changes have been made in the financial allocation for Scheduled Castes and Tribes as compared to the financial year 2023. The budget document shows that the government spent only Rs 257.37 crore in the fiscal year on various financial schemes for minorities, including pre-matric, post-matric and merit-cum-means scholarships.
The estimates presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the financial year 2024-25 left the budgets of the ministries of social justice and tribal affairs largely unchanged. The estimated allocations for both the ministries saw a marginal increase compared to the budget estimates for FY 2023-24. While Rs 14,225 crore has been allocated for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Rs 13,000 crore has been allocated for the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
The estimates presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the financial year 2024-25 left the budgets of the ministries of social justice and tribal affairs largely unchanged. The estimated allocations for both the ministries saw a marginal increase compared to the budget estimates for FY 2023-24.
Reduction in education budget of Dalit tribals
The revised estimates for the financial year 2023-24 showed a decline of 38 per cent and 23 per cent in the expenditure of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Ministry of Social Justice compared to the allocation in the Budget Estimates of 2023-24. The total estimated expenditure in the Union Budget 2024-25 is Rs 51,08,780 crore, while the total allocation for the welfare of Scheduled Castes is Rs 1,65,598 crore and for Scheduled Tribes is Rs 1,21,023 crore. In case of poverty, children of Scheduled Castes and Tribes depend on scholarships for further studies. But the government is proving through various cases, starting from Dr. Ritu Singh, how serious it is about the education of children coming from these communities. It is worth noting that funds for pre-matric scholarships, education schemes and various skill programs have been cut, which could potentially cause problems for the Muslim community.
The revised estimates for the financial year 2023-24 showed a decline of 38 per cent and 23 per cent in the expenditure of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Ministry of Social Justice compared to the allocation in the Budget Estimates of 2023-24.
Cut in education budget of minorities
Allocation for pre-matric scholarship fell from Rs 1,425 crore to Rs 433 crore. Funding for skill development schemes like ‘Nai Manzil’, which mostly targets minority women, declined to Rs 3.4 crore from Rs 332.91 crore in the previous financial year. Funds for research schemes for minorities have been halved from Rs 41 crore to Rs 20 crore. The scheme for madrassas and education for minorities saw a huge cut from Rs 160 crore to Rs 10 crore this year.
According to The Mooknayak, Dr. Maya John, Assistant Professor, Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University, while expressing her disappointment over the continuous cut in funding allocation for scholarships and fellowships, underlined that the PM Research Fellowship will cost Rs 400 crore in 2023-24. Reduction of 12.5 percent to Rs 350 crore in 2024-25. National Fellowship for OBC students was reduced by 4 per cent from Rs 57 crore to Rs 55 crore. There is no mention of special scholarship scheme for underprivileged students of Jammu and Kashmir in the budget.
Funding for skill development schemes like ‘Nai Manzil’, which mostly targets minority women, declined to Rs 3.4 crore from Rs 332.91 crore in the previous financial year.
How much budget was allocated for post-matric scholarship?
Where this year the slight increase in the allocation of National Overseas Scholarship for Scheduled Castes from Rs 50 crore to Rs 95 crore is a good effort. But despite demands for increase in post-matric scholarship, this year’s budget is Rs 6349 crore for SC and Rs 2374 crore for ST, a marginal increase from last year. Looking at higher education expenditure for SCs and STs, the Higher Education Department has allocated Rs 4180.60 crore under Allocation for Welfare of Scheduled Castes (AWSC), Rs 2126.30 crore for STs. Even though there has been an increase in the allocation by the Ministry of Higher Education by 3.7 per cent under AWSC and 3.2 per cent under AWST, AWSC and none of the schemes given in AWST are targeted towards the education of SC and ST students.
Where this year the slight increase in the allocation of National Overseas Scholarship for Scheduled Castes from Rs 50 crore to Rs 95 crore is a good effort. But despite demands for increase in post-matric scholarship, this year’s budget is Rs 6349 crore for SC and Rs 2374 crore for ST, a marginal increase from last year.
Not just an allocation problem
The schemes to eliminate unsafe sewers (Namaste) have replaced the earlier scheme called Schemes for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) under the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs from the year 2022. It focuses more on mechanization of cleaning. The sanitation process aims to upgrade the skills of people already engaged in sanitation work. But it does not take into account the problem of systematically forcing Dalits into sanitation work over generations. Namaste Scheme was launched as a Central Sector Scheme in 2022. The scheme was launched jointly by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and aimed to eliminate unsafe sewer and septic tank cleaning practices for which approximately Rs 100 crore was allocated in 2023. But only Rs 30 crore was used for this scheme. Despite this, Rs 116 crore has been allocated for this scheme in the interim budget.
Despite the shortfall in the allocated budget, it is used so little is a failure of the Centre. India’s existing problems cannot be solved by mere allocation. There are only two possible reasons for not utilizing the allocated budget. Highlighting the issue of allocation for SCs and STs, the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) has said that the money allocated for the upliftment and welfare of marginalized communities goes into general schemes like road construction and urea subsidy. Has been given. Prime Minister Modi has called this interim budget a dream budget.
Does this mean that in this dream budget, better education will not be given to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities, schemes like Namaste will be available for them but will not be used, which will result in the death of more than four hundred sanitation workers every five years? It will be done. Will the exploitation of Dalits and tribals continue in higher educational institutions like IITs? The benefits of the general scheme are available to all sections of the population. If we pay attention to the statistics showing social status, Dalit, tribal and Muslim communities stand on the margins. Therefore, they should be provided special benefits under funds for their welfare in addition to the benefits available under general schemes for the entire population. At the same time, it should be ensured that there is no shortfall in the utilization of the allocated budget.
Courtesy: Feminism in India.
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