'Abused and threatened': Nepalese engineering student dies by suicide at Odisha University

A police team visited the hostel and sent the body for a post-mortem to the Capital Hospital

A third-year male mechanical engineering student was on Sunday held for his alleged role in abetting the suicide of a 20-year-old Nepalese girl at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology University (KIIT), Bhubaneswar.

The deceased girl, identified as Prakriti Lamsal, was pursuing B.Tech in Computer Science from the university. She was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday evening, leading to massive protests on campus.

As per police officials, prima facie investigation has suggested that Lamsal died by suicide, reported The Indian Express. Police said that the accused is being questioned, and an FIR has also been filed under sections of abetment to suicide.

A police team visited the hostel and sent the body for a post-mortem to the Capital Hospital, following which it will be handed over to the family.

‘She was harassed’

Sources told Moneycontrol on condition of anonymity that Lamsal was allegedly being harassed by the accused. "She (Lamsal) had complained against the guy earlier too... But he resumed classes. There is an (unverified) audio message circulating online where a boy and girl can be heard talking. He is abusing her and threatening her while she is weeping. It is being said the voices belong to Lamsal and the accused,” the source said.

Moneycontrol could not independently corroborate the veracity of the audio clip circulating online.

Meanwhile, students from Nepal studying at the university blocked the road near the KIIT campus, alleging that the university authorities took no action when the student reached out to the International Relations Office at the university, flagging harassment by her batchmate.
KIIT registrar Jnyana Ranjan Mohanty has claimed that the student took the extreme step because of a strained relationship.

“University officials immediately informed the police, who have since taken a male student — believed to have been in a relationship with the deceased — into custody for questioning. It is believed that the student may have taken this step following a personal dispute/issue between them,” read a statement released by KIIT.

Police has been deployed on the campus to restore normalcy. The registrar's office has issued a notice declaring the university closed sine die and instructed all Nepalese students to vacate the campus by February 17.

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