KIIT Nepali student death: The Odisha government has constituted a high-level fact-finding committee to probe the death of a Nepali girl student, Prakriti Lamsal, whose body was found in her hostel on the KIIT campus in Odisha's Bhubaneswar. The Committee comprises the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, Principal Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department and Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Higher Education Department as members.
The state government has taken immediate cognizance of the matter and taken steps to arrest security guards and suspension of erring officials involved. The institution has been placed under notice, and appropriate legal and administrative action will follow based on the findings of the high-level committee.
"Reports of misconduct including the use of force against students by private individuals, are being investigated into, and those responsible, shall be held accountable as per the law. The Government of Odisha remains committed to ensuring the safety, dignity, and well-being of every student. The Odisha Government will take all necessary steps to ensure that justice is served swiftly and fairly," the govt said in a statement.
KIIT Nepali student death
A BTech third-student from Nepal studying at Odisha's Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) was found dead on campus on Sunday. As per the authorities, she allegedly committed suicide. Her death sparked tension in the campus with several students protesting against the college authorities. The deceased was identified as Prakriti Lamsal, her cousin lodged a complaint at Infocity police station in Bhubaneswar alleging that his sister hanged herself in her hostel room on Sunday. He suspected that another male student of the varsity was blackmailing his sister for which she committed suicide.
However, the father of the student on Tuesday alleged that the private engineering institute "mistreated" undergraduates from the neighbouring country.
His comment comes after the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) was accused of evicting a group of Nepali students from their hostel, amid tension on the campus following the death of Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B Tech student of the institute.
Sunil Lamsal, the father of the deceased student, said, "I have lost my daughter. Many other children are studying here. It is known from the media that some students were driven out of their hostel. This is not right. This incident should not be repeated. These people go to Nepal and invite students to study here. The institute mistreated them."