Nepali student found dead in Odisha's KIIT, second such case in over 2 months

A Nepali undergraduate student was found dead in her hostel room on Thursday evening.

A Nepali undergraduate student was found dead in her hostel room in Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) on Thursday evening, making it the second such death involving a Nepalese student in less than three months.

The student has been identified as a first-year student enrolled in the Computer Science B.Tech programme. She was a native of Birgunj, located approximately 135 km from the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. Her body was discovered hanging from the ceiling fan in her room at one of the institute's girls' hostels, police said, according to a report by NDTV.

The hostel warden found the girl dead in her room at around 8 pm and informed the police, sources told the Indian Express.

Senior police officers, including Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner S Dev Dutta Singh, rushed to the spot. An investigation has been launched.

“We have registered an unnatural death case and started probe into the matter. If we find that anyone is involved, we will probe all aspects. The hostel students are being questioned to ascertain whether the deceased had any symptoms or if she had shared anything. We have recovered the body and sent it to AIIMS for autopsy,” the Commissioner said, IE reported.

Security has been heightened in and around the university premises, as the incident has rekindled concerns over the safety and welfare of international students, particularly those from Nepal.

Around three months back, a 20-year-old Nepali student, also studying computer science, died by suicide following alleged blackmail by her classmate which later snowballed into a major crisis over some faculty members making racial and humiliating comments at the Nepali students.

On February 16, Prakriti Lamsal, a third-year B.Tech student, was found dead in her hostel room.

Lamsal's death had led to widespread protests from the Nepalese student community and criticism of the university, founded and run by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and former MP Achyuta Samanta.

It later emerged that she had filed a formal complaint with the university's International Relations Office (IRO) alleging sexual harassment by a fellow student. Despite the complaint, no immediate action was taken by the university administration, prompting a strong response from students and civil society groups. The National Human Rights Commission of India had subsequently described the university's inaction as "gross negligence." The accused in that case was arrested a day after her death.