A second-year student from IIT Bombay’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering died by suicide on Friday evening, the institute said. Earlier that day, the student had reportedly been found using a mobile phone during an exam, having uploaded the question paper to an AI platform to look up answers.
Following the news, students gathered in large numbers on campus to demand a thorough inquiry into what led to the death, with many saying the institute has not paid enough attention to students’ mental health.
According to the institute’s statement, no disciplinary proceedings were brought against the student over the incident. It said the course instructor and the head of the department had spoken with him afterward, offering reassurance that the episode would not harm his academic standing, after which he returned to his hostel room. He was later found dead there that evening.
The institute said it was providing support to the student’s friends, classmates, and faculty, and that the circumstances of his death were under investigation by the relevant authorities. As of the latest reports, police were still recording statements from students and staff.
This is the second such death at the same hostel this year — on July 28, a 20-year-old second-year BTech student died by suicide in his room. No note was found, though investigators, after seizing his phone and finding a notebook referencing heartbreak and depression, suspected a failed relationship may have been a factor.
