KIIT suicide row: May stop issuing NOC to students wishing to study in Odisha if situation not resolved, says Nepal govt

KIIT University

The Nepal government on Tuesday said that it may stop issuing no objection certificates to students who wish to study in educational institutes in India’s Odisha if the situation arising from the death of a student in a Bhubaneswar university is not resolved in a “justifiable and legal way”.

Prakriti Lamsal (20), a third-year B Tech (computer science) student at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), allegedly died by suicide at her hostel room on Sunday afternoon, leading to unrest on the campus.

Nepal’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in a statement said that it may suspend issuance of no objection certificate (NOC) in the future to students wishing to study in any university or educational institutions in Odisha.

The ministry also appealed to the concerned people, including the guardians and students of the university, for observing patience and said the ministry 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 said.

Meanwhile, members of Parliament, including Shishir Khanal, Bina Lama, Sita Mijar, Sher Bahadur Kunwar and Shanti Bika, raised the issue related to the KIIT incident in the House of Representatives during zero hour on Tuesday.

They extended condolences to the bereaved family members on the sad demise of Nepalese student Prakriti Lamsal in KIIT and asked the government to make necessary diplomatic efforts to ensure serious inquiry of the mysterious death of the student and resolve the problems related to other Nepalese students studying in KIIT.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has said that the ministry is continuously following up on the death of the Nepali student in KIIT and the situation that developed thereafter.

“Two senior police officers from Nepalese Embassy in New Delhi have reached the college on Tuesday morning to learn about the situation and to ensure safety of Nepalese students,” Foreign Minister Deuba wrote on X.