Indian professor grabs student by collar during comedy show, viral video sparks debate

A video captured at Nirma University in Ahmedabad has gone viral, depicting a professor grabbing a student's collar during a comedy show. The incident occurred during the university's annual Technofora 2026 festival, which took place from September 18 to 20. Student Himanshu K Patel, an Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering department faculty member, was on stage when a fellow student interrupted with a line from the 2010 Bollywood film Golmaal 3.

The professor responded with a mildly aggressive remark, leading to the student being called onto the stage. Footage shows the professor grabbing the student's collar and warning him against insulting a faculty member. The professor later told ThePrint that the widely-shared clip did not show the full context of the exchange, stating that after the student apologized, the matter was resolved.

The incident has sparked debate online, with some defending the professor's right to maintain discipline and others criticizing the physical confrontation. Nirma University has not yet commented on the matter.