Three years after a Hindu Dalit student named Darshan Solanki, studying at the prestigious IIT-Bombay, took his own life, a special court on Wednesday (15th April) framed charges against Arman Iqbal for criminal intimidation and abetment of suicide.
Arman was booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 306 and 506 (2) and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Given that the accused has pleaded ‘not guilty’, the trial will now begin in the case.
According to reports, the draft charge against Arman was submitted before the court by the Special Public Prosecutor Prakash Salsingikar. It was based on chargesheet evidence such as witness statements and the suicide note recovered from the room of Darshan Solanki.
The Background of the Case
The victim, who hailed from Ahmedabad city of Gujarat, took his own life on 12th February 2023 by jumping from the 7th floor of his hostel building. Soon after the incident, speculations began about the cause of Darshan Solanki’s untimely death.
A notorious organisation on campus named ‘Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC)’ alleged that the victim took his own life due to ‘caste discrimination.’ It was also quick to dub the tragic incident as an ‘institutional murder.’ APPSC even tried to falsely implicate Darshan Solank’s roommate for ‘abetment of suicide.’
The usual suspects joined the fray and declared that the victim died due to ‘caste discrimination.’ This was prior to the conclusion of internal investigation by IIT-B and the Powai police in Mumbai.
space inclusive and safe for dalit bahujan adivasi students. First year students face the most harassment in terms of anti reservation sentiments and taunts of non deserving and non- meritorious. There is a lack of representation of faculty and counsellors from the marginalized
— APPSC IIT Bombay (@AppscIITb) February 12, 2023
In March 2023, an internal committee commissioned by the IIT-B found “no specific evidence of direct caste-based discrimination” resulting in the death of Darshan Solanki. The panel also alluded to his “deteriorating academic performance” as a possible reason for taking his life.
Despite this, leftist portal Newslaundry used the unfortunate incident to claim ‘caste discrimination’ because students were asked about their JEE rank at the institute.
Asking rank has been a tactic used by savarnas to mark SC/ST students and harass them. Despite the testimony by his senior, the committee hid it from the report and lied that he denied instances of discrimination. #justicefordarshansolanki https://t.co/wGaRo908xx
— APPSC IIT Bombay (@AppscIITb) March 12, 2023
On 9th April 2023, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Mumbai Police arrested a 19-year-old batchmate of Darshan Solanki named Arman Iqbal Khatri in connection to the former’s suicide.
The SIT had recovered a suicide note from Solanki’s room that read, “Arman has killed me.” During the inquiry, the investigators discovered that harassment by Arman might have forced the victim to end his life. Handwriting experts had confirmed that the suicide note was indeed written by Darshan Solanki.
It later emerged that Arman Malik and Solanki stayed on the same floor of the IIT-B hostel. A day before his suicide, the victim had confided in another student that he felt threatened by Arman.
In his statement to the police, the student said that when he met Darshan Solanki on February 11, the latter told him to “not be seen with him or else Khatri would harm him as well”.
After Arman Iqbal’s role in the unfortunate death of Darshan Solanki emerged, the leftist cabal that was lampooning the ‘caste discrimination’ theory went into hiding.
Arman Iqbal was able to secure bail a month later in May 2023. Thereafter, he continued his studies at IIT-Bombay. In 2025, he moved the Bombay High Court to seek the quashing of all charges against him, but later withdrew the petition.
After 3 years of Solanki’s death, Arman will now stand trial in a special court for criminal intimidation and abetment of suicide.
