IIT Bombay student dies after being caught using ChatGPT in exam, 400 protest
A second-year IIT Bombay student was found dead in his hostel room hours after being caught using ChatGPT during an exam, prompting a protest by over 400 students.
Tension gripped the IIT Bombay campus after a student died, days after he was found using a mobile phone during an examination. The second-year student from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering was found dead in his hostel room on the evening of Friday, September 18, 2026.
According to a statement from IIT Bombay, the student was caught using his mobile phone in the examination hall earlier that day. The institute said he had tried to upload the question paper to ChatGPT to find answers.
The institute clarified that no disciplinary action had been initiated against the student over the incident. The concerned teacher and the head of the department had spoken to him and assured him that the incident would not have any adverse impact on his academic career.
Following this, the student returned to his hostel room, but was found dead in his room that evening. Powai police are investigating the case, and the body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Police are trying to determine the exact cause of the student's death.
Although the student died just hours after the examination incident, the official investigation has not so far established a direct cause-and-effect link between the two events. It would therefore not be right to draw any conclusions at this stage about why the student took this step.
As news of the student's death spread across campus, large numbers of students gathered. More than 400 students protested near the main building of IIT Bombay, raising slogans and questioning the administration's handling of the matter.
The protest continued late into the night. IIT Bombay Director Prof. Shireesh Kedare spoke with the students at night, after which they were taken to the Convocation Hall in front of the main building.
According to the protesting students, the ongoing mid-semester exams have been postponed following the incident. Students also raised questions about mental health, academic stress and the support systems available to them on campus. Some students said professors and the administration needed to be more sensitive about students' mental health, demanding a concrete system to understand students' mental state and difficulties, rather than simply being told not to worry.
IIT Bombay has expressed grief over the student's death. The institute said necessary support was being provided to friends, classmates, teachers and others affected by the incident, and that concerned officials were investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
The death has reignited debate on the IIT Bombay campus over students' mental health and academic pressure. The circumstances of the death will become clearer only once the police and other agencies complete their investigation.
