KIIT suicide row: Odisha CM assures justice, urges students from Nepal to return to varsity

KIIT University

As protests in Bhubaneswar Kalinga's Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) refuse to die down, the office of Odisha chief minister, Mohan Charan Majhi, issued a statement on Wednesday, assuring justice and a return to normalcy in the aftermath of the alleged suicide of a 20-year-old student from Nepal. The CM also urged students from Nepal to return to campus and resume their studies.

A high level committee under chairmanship of state home secretary has been instituted to ascertain the circumstances leading to the alleged suicide.

Prakriti Lamsal, a 20-year-old from Nepal’s Kathmandu, was pursuing computer science at the varsity.She was allegedly found dead in her hostel room on Sunday, hours after she spoke to her mother. A 21-year-old male student has been arrested after the girl’s friends and family accused him of physical and verbal abuse.

The death of the student has rocked a university in Odisha. Prakriti Lamsal, who hailed from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, was found dead in her hostel room on Sunday (February 16) at Odisha’s Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT).

The university’s response following her demise has drawn flak. As Nepali students launched protests within the campus, they were reportedly roughed up and later asked to vacate the university. The row escalated and the Nepal Embassy had to intervene. Later, KIIT withdrew its order but the incident put the spotlight on the alleged high-handedness of varsity’s authorities.

"A discussion was held at the State Guest House with officials from Nepal, attended by Hon’ble Ministers Shri Mukesh Mahaling and Shri Suryabanshi Suraj, along with Chief Secretary Shri Manoj Ahuja, to ensure the restoration of normalcy at KIIT. Additionally, the Foreign Minister of Nepal Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba spoke with Shri Suryabanshi Suraj over the phone regarding the matter," the statement from CM's officed read.