A second-year IIT Bombay student died by suicide on Friday evening after being found using a mobile phone during an examination, according to the institute. The incident later led to a protest on the Powai campus, with students demanding greater accountability and transparency from the administration.

The student, from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers, IIT Bombay said. Officials said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him following the incident.

The matter was instead discussed with the student by the instructor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not affect his academic career, according to the institute.

The student subsequently returned to his hostel room. He was later found dead in his room.

The death has also raised concern among students over a series of similar incidents on the IIT Bombay campus. According to the information provided by the institute, this was the third suicide at the IIT Powai campus in six months.

IIT Bombay students protest after student death

Following the death, a section of IIT Bombay students gathered on campus and began protesting, seeking answers from the administration.

Police personnel were deployed at the campus as discussions took place between students and institute officials. DCP Dattatray Nalawade said an investigation into the death was underway.

He said students were raising internal administrative concerns and that the administration was engaging with them to find a solution. While some protesters dispersed, others remained on campus as talks continued.

One of the protesting students, Pranay, said the immediate demand was for accountability and transparency from the institute.

He alleged that four such incidents had taken place at IIT Bombay this year, including two in the past two months. Students, he said, wanted to understand why such incidents were occurring and sought a formal response from the Dean, Director and administration.

Pranay also raised concerns about the treatment of students by some professors and called for steps to address complaints about harsh behaviour.

Another student urges against blame

The protest was not viewed by all students as a confrontation with the administration.

Ansh, another student, said the campus was grieving following the death and urged students not to turn the situation into an "Administration vs. Students" conflict.

He said students were deeply affected by the death and called for the campus community to stand together rather than immediately assign blame.

What IIT Bombay said

IIT Bombay said it was "deeply saddened" by the student's death and that support was being extended to those affected by the incident.

"The Institute is extending support to the student's friends, classmates, faculty members, and others affected by this tragic incident. The circumstances surrounding the death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities," the institute said in a statement.

The circumstances surrounding the student's death remain under investigation.

With agency inputs