IIT Bombay Student Dies After Exam Incident, Campus Protests Follow
The institute says the 19-year-old student was found using a phone to seek ChatGPT answers during an examination; more than 400 students later gathered on campus.
A 19-year-old second-year student at IIT Bombay died by suicide on Friday, hours after he was found using a mobile phone during an examination, according to the institute and police. The incident subsequently led to a large student protest on campus and the postponement of ongoing mid-semester examinations.
The student was enrolled in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. According to an official statement issued by IIT Bombay, he was found using a phone in the examination hall and had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers.
The institute said no disciplinary action had been initiated against the student. It added that the instructor and Head of Department spoke with and counselled him, assuring him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career. He later returned to his hostel room.
Police said the student was subsequently found dead in his room. Authorities began examining the circumstances surrounding the death, while the body was sent to Rajawadi Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Following news of the student's death, more than 400 students gathered near IIT Bombay's main building and protested against the administration. The institute's director, Prof Shireesh Kedare, later met the protesting students, after which the gathering moved to the convocation hall.
Students participating in the protest raised concerns about the institute's response following serious incidents on campus. According to students quoted by The Indian Express, the ongoing mid-semester examinations were postponed following the incident.
IIT Bombay said it was deeply saddened by the student's death and was extending support to his friends, classmates, faculty members and others affected. The institute also said the circumstances surrounding the death were being examined by the appropriate authorities.
The incident has brought renewed attention to student welfare and institutional responses following serious incidents on university campuses, while authorities continue to examine the circumstances of the student's death.