Members of the Navnirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS) take out a candlelight march in protest over the death of a Nepali student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) campus, in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: PTI
A day after more than 500 students from Nepal were forced to leave the campus of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar and dropped at the Cuttack railway station following protests over the death of a student, the Odisha government on Tuesday instituted a three-member committee to ascertain the circumstances leading to the death, the alleged high-handedness of the university authorities, and closing of the institute sine die for a “specific group of students”.
The government has directed the private university to deploy officials to trace the evicted students, provide counselling to those traumatised, and facilitate their return.
Tension had erupted on the campus of KIIT, a deemed-to-be university, following the death by alleged suicide of Prakriti Lamsal, 20, a third-year B.Tech (computer science) student from the neighbouring country, in her hostel room, leading to protests on the campus. On Monday, the university authorities dropped the students from Nepal at the railway station, 30 km from the institute. A notice issued by the KIIT read, “The university is closed sine die for all the international students from Nepal.”
‘Lost our child’
Odisha Police, meanwhile, handed over the body to her father, Sunil Lamsal, after post-mortem at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. “We have lost our child, but the same should not happen to other parents,” Mr. Lamsal said.
“Police have registered two cases, one in connection with the girl’s suicide following a complaint by her cousin, and another by the police on the contents of the social media video where security personnel and staff of the private university were [seen] abusing and beating up students who protested over the incident,” Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police Pinak Mishra said.
The incident triggered Statewide outcry with the issue being raised in the Assembly during the ongoing Budget Session. House members, cutting across party lines, demanded the arrest of KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta and disciplinary action against the institute for assault on foreign students.
‘Officials suspended’
State Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said the university has informed the government that some of the officials were placed under suspension for their high-handedness. “We are concerned over the circumstances under which the institute declared closed for students from Nepal sine die and why this decision specifically targeted students from Nepal. Why were they dropped off at Cuttack railway station? This issue is not limited to the private university alone, as the incident occurred outside the campus and also involves a foreign country. Why was the Higher Education Department not consulted?” he said, adding that by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, reports confirmed that 100 students from Nepal had returned to campus while 800 others remained scattered in Odisha and outside the State, with some en route to Nepal by bus.
“KIIT authorities have been directed to counsel the traumatised students and facilitate their return to resume their academic pursuits. They have also been instructed to provide hourly updates on the situation,” Mr. Suraj said.
The Minister warned that the university cannot adopt a vengeful approach towards students who participated in the agitation.
Several students, on condition of anonymity, said many of those evicted from the campus had to board general coaches as most of them did not have train tickets. Throughout the journey, the students from Nepal narrating the ordeal on phone to their Indian counterparts here.
The Nepal government said that it may stop issuing no-objection certificates to students who wish to study in institutes of Odisha if the situation is not resolved in a “justifiable and legal way”. Nepal’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, in a statement issued on Tuesday, appealed to the people concerned, including the guardians and students of the university, for observing patience and said it has formed a help desk to facilitate effective resolution of the problems arising from the incident.
“The Ministry is continuously making diplomatic efforts through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure a conducive environment for resuming the studies of Nepalese students,” the statement read.
(With inputs from PTI)
Those in distress may contact Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health suicide prevention helpline 011-40769002.
Published – February 19, 2025 01:49 am IST