Overview
- A video that circulated on September 24 shows a professor at Nirma University calling an audience member onstage and grabbing his collar during a stand‑up show held as part of Technofora 2026 from September 18–20.
- The student had shouted a line from a Bollywood film, and the professor is heard warning, “I can go to any extent. The day you dare to insult any faculty member of the Nirma University campus, you are gone forever.”
- Local outlets and social posts have identified the faculty member as H.K. Patel or Dr. Himanshu K Patel, who is listed as a department head, but that identification comes from limited local reporting and has not been independently confirmed across all outlets.
- The National Students Union of India demanded an apology, called for a formal inquiry and warned of protests if the university does not act, while Nirma University and the comedian on the bill have not issued public comments.
- The episode has fueled debate about limits on faculty authority at public events and could prompt campus disciplinary action or student protests depending on whether the university opens the requested inquiry.