ABVP seeks probe into IIT-B student suicide after exam incident

Mumbai, Sep 19: The suicide of a 19-year-old second-year student at IIT Bombay, hours after he was found using a mobile phone during an examination, has triggered protests on campus and a demand for a thorough inquiry from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

 

 

 

 

The student, from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found using a mobile phone during an examination on Friday. According to IIT Bombay’s official statement, he had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers. The institute said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him at that stage. The instructor and Head of Department discussed the matter with him, counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career. He subsequently returned to his hostel room and was later found dead.

 

 

 

 

The sequence of events has nevertheless raised questions among students about what happened between the examination and the student’s death. More than 400 students gathered near the institute’s main building after news of the death spread across the campus. The protest continued until IIT Bombay Director Prof Shireesh Kedare met the students. The ongoing mid-semester examinations were subsequently postponed.

 

 

 

 

 

Against this backdrop, ABVP Mumbai Mahanagar has demanded a thorough, impartial and transparent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death. The organisation said that if the inquiry establishes negligence, harassment, pressure or any other form of wrongdoing, those responsible should face action according to the rules.

 

 

ABVP Mumbai Mahanagar Secretary Abhishek Pawar said students’ lives and mental well-being are of paramount importance and that such incidents should not be treated simply as isolated or accidental events. He called for all possible factors surrounding the incident to be examined and stressed the need for educational institutions to provide students with a safe, sensitive and trusting environment.

 

 

 

 

The demand comes even as IIT Bombay has said that the circumstances surrounding the death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities. The Powai police are also investigating the case, with the student’s body sent for post-mortem examination.

 

 

ABVP has also called for counselling and mental-health support systems on campus to be made more effective and accessible. It appealed to students facing difficulties not to remain isolated, but to speak to friends, teachers, family members or counselors. The organisation also offered to connect students with its Mumbai workers.