Mumbai: A 19-year-old second-year student of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay died by suicide on Friday evening, shortly after being found with a mobile phone during an examination, according to the institute.
The institute said the student had uploaded a photograph of the examination question paper to ChatGPT in an attempt to obtain answers.
IIT Bombay said no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him after the incident. The instructor and the Head of the Department spoke to the student, counselled him and assured him that the matter would not damage his academic career, as reported by India Today.
The student then went back to his hostel room. He was found dead there later in the evening.
IIT Bombay expressed “deep sadness” over the student’s death and said it was offering support to his classmates, friends, faculty members and others affected by the incident.
“The circumstances surrounding the death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities,” the institute said.
The institute added that assistance was being provided to members of the campus community coping with the loss. Details of the probe and the events that preceded the student’s death are awaited.
Campus Protest
The incident prompted hundreds of students to gather near IIT Bombay’s main building on campus. The protesters questioned the administration’s handling of the matter and sought greater clarity on the events surrounding the student’s death.
More than 400 students took part in the demonstration, The Indian Express reported. The protest came amid growing concern among students over the institute’s response to the incident.
