Legislators cutting across party lines on Tuesday expressed grief in the Odisha assembly over the death of a Nepali student on the KIIT campus here and condemned the alleged mistreatment of several other students from the neighbouring country by the private institute's authorities.
The issue was raised during the Zero Hour by BJD member PK Deb who said the girl’s suicide and subsequent development brought shame to the state.
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.
“The incident has brought down the name of Odisha at the international level,” Deb claimed.
He alleged that the incident was an outcome of the "worsening law and order situation" under the BJP rule in the state.
Congress legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam also expressed concern over the alleged mistreatment of the students from Nepal.
“This is an unfortunate incident and it should not be accepted by anyone,” Kadam said.
Senior Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati demanded a judicial probe into the incident in which the Nepali girl was suspected to have died by suicide and several other students from the Himalayan country were allegedly assaulted by KIIT staff.
“It hurts when we find that the students from Nepal were harassed in Odisha. Our state has a long-standing relationship with Nepal. The treatment by KIIT authorities has strained Odisha’s relationship with Nepal,” Bahinipati said.
The Congress MLAs also threatened that he would stage a dharna in the assembly if the chief minister did not order a judicial inquiry into the incident.
In a statement, KIIT said it has always been a home to students from across the world, fostering a culture of inclusivity, respect, and care.
"We deeply regret the recent incident and reaffirm our commitment to the safety, dignity, and well-being of all our students, including our dear Nepali students," the institute wrote on X.
BJP MLA Babu Singh also demanded the arrest of Achyuta Samanta, the founder of KIIT.
“What has happened in KIIT is a shame for Odisha. Therefore, Samanta should be arrested,” the BJP lawmaker said, adding that the state has sustained a huge loss due to the "wrongdoings" of the private institute.
Singh alleged that Samanta, who was an MP from Kandhamal, was "patronised by the opposition Biju Janata Dal.
Several other BJP MLAs also came down heavily on the institute over the Nepali student's death.
Prakriti Lamsal's body was recovered on Sunday evening from her hostel room.
The institute said, "It is suspected that the girl was having an affair with another student at KIIT, and she may have committed suicide for some reason."
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