IIT Bombay student's death: Arrested batchmate gets bail

Mumbai: Arman Khatri, arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of fellow IIT Bombay student Darshan Solanki, has been granted bail by a special court. He is also told to furnish a cash deposit of Rs 25,000.

Solanki's death led to protests from several student groups saying he was bullied over his caste. The first-year B-tech (chemical) student from Ahmedabad allegedly jumped off the seventh floor of the hostel building on the Powai campus on February 12.

The college authorities first maintained that the student was under pressure due to exams. His death was a day after the semester exams. The Mumbai Police appointed a special investigation team for the probe. Three weeks later, officials found a one-line note from Solanki's room that said: "Arman has killed me".

Two days before his death, Solanki made a communal remark while talking to Khatri. The latter threatened Solanki with a paper cutter. Solanki was said to be visibly scared by the incident and suffered from a fever that night. According to police, Solanki apologised to Khatri via messages and said he is going home and leaving Mumbai.

Khatri was booked under charges of abetment to suicide and criminal intimidation of the IPC and under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Khatri in his bail plea said that he is being targeted and implicated in the case and there was no evidence to show he directly abetted the suicide. He added that Solanki's parents also never accused him in their complaint. The plea also noted that Khatri has no criminal antecedents.