Nirma University in Ahmedabad has ordered a seven-day inquiry into a confrontation between a professor and a student after a video showing the faculty member grabbing the student's collar during a campus event went viral and triggered protests by student organisations.
The university has formed a three-member committee comprising senior deans and directors to examine the incident and submit its report within seven days, Director General R N Patel said.
The professor, H K Patel, and the student have since apologised to each other, while the university has also spoken to the student's parents. The university said the inquiry would continue despite the apologies and that further action would be considered based on the committee's recommendations.
How the confrontation unfolded
The incident took place during Technofora 2026, a student event organised by Nirma University's Institute of Technology from September 18 to 20. The programme included a performance by comedian Rajat Sood.
After Sood's performance, Professor H K Patel, head of the Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering department, was addressing students from the stage when a student in the audience shouted, "Jaldi kar, Panvel nikalna hai", a dialogue from the 2010 Bollywood film Golmaal 3.
Patel responded, "Toh nikal le bhai," before calling the student to the stage.
A video circulating widely on social media shows Patel holding the student's collar and questioning his conduct. The professor is also heard warning the student that he could "go to any extent" if a faculty member was insulted.
The episode subsequently became the subject of protests and demands for an inquiry.
Student groups seek action
The video prompted protests by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI).
NSUI sought an impartial and time-bound inquiry, preservation of CCTV footage and interaction with witnesses. It also called for protection of the student from any academic disadvantage or retaliation arising from the incident.
The ABVP also staged a demonstration outside the university, while NSUI had registered its protest earlier. Both organisations sought action over the incident.
The university, meanwhile, said it had taken cognisance of the matter and spoken to both the professor and the student. Patel said the professor and student had apologised to each other, while the student's parents had also been contacted.
The latest committee will now examine the incident and submit its findings within seven days.
Rajat Sood reacts to viral video
Sood, whose performance preceded the confrontation, also reacted to the controversy on social media.
He joked that he had realised he was "manifesting crime scenes", referring to a series of unexpected incidents that he said had occurred around events where he was present.
Sood also clarified that nothing had happened to him during the Nirma University incident after people apparently asked whether the professor had confronted him as well. He said the professor had come on stage after his performance and that the confrontation with the student happened subsequently.
The viral clip has since drawn widespread attention online, but the university's committee is now expected to establish the circumstances of the confrontation and recommend any further action.