Engineering professor grabs student by collar on stage in Gujarat, sparks Internet row
An incident at Nirma University, Ahmedabad, has stirred considerable controversy after a video appeared to show a senior professor summoning a student upon the stage during a comedy programme and seizing him by the collar before issuing a stern warning.
The episode is reported to have occurred during Technofora 2026, the annual technical event associated with the International Society of Automation Students’ Chapter at Nirma University’s Institute of Technology.advertisement❮❯ Read Full StoryWHAT HAPPENED DURING THE EVENT?It was during a stand-up comedy programme featuring comedian Rajat Sood, according to reports concerning the circulating footage, that the unusual confrontation unfolded.
A student in the audience is reported to have called out the familiar line, “Jaldi bol, kal subah Panvel nikalna hai,” a dialogue associated with the Hindi film Golmaal 3.
Dr. Patel, who was on the stage, subsequently called the student forward. When the student approached, the professor was seen in the circulating video taking hold of his collar and questioning him about his conduct.
The footage further captures Dr. Patel warning the student in forceful terms, including the statement that he could “go up to any extent” and that anyone who insulted a member of the Nirma University faculty would face serious consequences.
The precise circumstances immediately preceding the confrontation, however, cannot be independently established from the short video alone.
The spectacle, recorded upon the mobile telephones of persons present, soon travelled beyond the university grounds and circulated across social-media platforms.
The university records show that this year’s Technofora was conducted from September 18 to 20, 2026, under the guidance of Dr. Himanshu K Patel, Head of the Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering.
The three-day gathering attracted more than 800 participants and comprised technical competitions, workshops and cultural activities.HOW SOCIAL MEDIA IS REACTING?
The professor's conduct became the subject of criticism from some online users, while other commenters argued that the student's remark itself had crossed a line. Reports also indicate that the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) raised the prospect of protest concerning the incident.
Dr. Himanshu K Patel is no obscure figure within the university. Nirma University’s official faculty profile identifies him as a professor and Head of the Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering Department, with a PhD and more than three decades of experience spanning academia, research and industry.
The university states that he has been associated with the department since January 2000. His listed areas of specialisation include power electronics, electrical drives, sensors and measurement techniques, and spin-qubit modelling.
The university also records several professional distinctions attributed to Dr. Patel, including International Society of Automation awards for education, student-section leadership and society service.
Thus, what might ordinarily have remained a fleeting quarrel at a student gathering has assumed a considerably larger life online. The episode has raised questions about the proper limits of authority between teacher and pupil, particularly when disagreement occurs before a public audience.
Yet, until the university or the persons directly involved provide a fuller account, the viral footage ought to be regarded as evidence of what it visibly records, rather than of every circumstance surrounding the encounter.
