HK Patel alleged collar grab at Nirma's Technofora sparks protests
A video of Professor HK Patel, head of electronics and instrumentation engineering at Nirma University, went viral after he was seen allegedly grabbing a student's collar during Technofora 2026 (held September 18-20).
The incident happened when a student interrupted his speech with a movie quote, leading Patel to call the student on stage and issue a warning.
Student unions ABVP and NSUI are now demanding an apology and his resignation.
Nirma forms committee amid NSUI protests
After the video spread online, campus protests picked up steam, especially when another clip surfaced showing Patel on stage in a T-shirt reading "HK The Brand."
Things escalated on September 28 with NSUI-led demonstrations and a large police presence at the site.
Nirma University has set up an internal committee to look into what happened.