IIT Bombay student found dead in hostel after exam phone incident

A 22-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay was found dead in his hostel room on Friday evening, hours after he was caught using a mobile phone during an examination, police said on Saturday.

The student was in the second year of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. According to the institute, he was found using a mobile phone in the examination hall earlier that day and had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT to look for answers.

The institute said no disciplinary action was initiated against him. The matter was discussed with the student by the instructor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career. He then returned to his hostel room, where he was found dead later in the evening.

IIT Bombay expressed grief over the loss and said it was extending support to the student's friends, classmates, faculty members and others affected. The circumstances surrounding the death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities, the institute added.

A police official said no note was recovered from the spot. The Powai police have registered an accidental death report and sent the body for a post-mortem examination. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the motive behind the step.

This is the third reported case of suicide on the IIT Bombay campus in Powai in seven months. In February, a second-year student died by suicide in a hostel. In July, at the start of the new semester, a 20-year-old second-year BTech student also died by suicide.

Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State's health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha's suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.