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Nirma University orders probe after professor grabs student’s collar on stage, sparks outrage
The incident took place during a student event organised by Nirma University’s Institute of Technology after comedian Rajat Sood performed at the event.
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A private university in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad has ordered a seven-day inquiry into a confrontation between a professor and a student during a campus event after a video showing the professor grabbing the student’s collar went viral and triggered protests.
The incident took place during Technofora 2026, a student event organised by Nirma University’s Institute of Technology from September 18 to 20, after comedian Rajat Sood performed at the event.
A three-member committee comprising senior deans and directors of the university will examine the incident and submit its report within seven days, university’s director general R N Patel said.
What's the row at Nirma University about
The video, which was widely shared on social media, showed Professor H K Patel, head of the Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering department, addressing students after Sood’s performance when a student from the audience shouted, “Jaldi kar, Panvel nikalna hai”, a dialogue from the 2010 film Golmaal 3.
Patel replied, “Toh nikal le bhai,” and called the student to the stage. The video circulating on social media further shows Patel holding the student’s collar and questioning his conduct. He is also heard warning the student that he could “go to any extent” if a faculty member was insulted.
The video led to protests by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India. NSUI has sought an impartial inquiry, preservation of CCTV footage, interaction with witnesses and protection for the student against any academic disadvantage.
The professor and the student had apologised to each other, and the student’s parents had also been contacted, according to Director General R N Patel.
Comedian Rajat Sood has also reacted to the controversy on social media, saying he had realised that he was “manifesting crime scenes” and joking about how he seems to be present whenever unexpected incidents happen. He also clarified that nothing happened to him during the Nirma University incident, after people apparently asked whether the professor had also confronted him.
