IIT Bombay student dies by suicide after ChatGPT exam row

A 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, hours after he was found using a mobile phone during an examination, the institute said.

According to IIT Bombay, the student had uploaded the examination question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. The institute said no disciplinary action was initiated against him following the incident.

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, the institute said.

The student subsequently returned to his hostel room. Later in the evening, he was found dead in his room.

His death triggered a protest on the IIT Bombay campus, with students demanding a transparent probe into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Protesting students have alleged that the student was threatened with suspension after being caught using ChatGPT during the examination. The allegation contrasts with the institute's account that no disciplinary action was initiated and that the student was counselled and assured that the incident would not affect his academic career.

The protesting students have also demanded the resignation of IIT Bombay Director Professor Shireesh Kedare.

The institute expressed grief over the student's death and said it was extending support to his friends, classmates, faculty members and others affected by the incident.

"The circumstances surrounding the death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities," IIT Bombay said.

Another suicide involving IIT student

In another incident, a 31-year-old second-year MSc Physics student at IIT Delhi died after allegedly jumping from the sixth floor of the Lecture Hall Complex on the campus on August 22.

Police said they received a call at around 8.33 am about a student having jumped from a building on the IIT Delhi campus. The student was taken to the IIT Delhi campus hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

According to police, the student entered the IIT Delhi campus through the main gate at around 8 am. He then went to the Lecture Hall Complex, took a lift to the sixth floor and allegedly jumped from the front side of the building.

The student, a resident of Bihar, was in the second year of the MSc Physics programme. Police said no suicide note was recovered and the reason behind his death was being ascertained.